


The Naegi Family Vacation on Jabberwock Island

by Capnii



Series: Next Gen AU [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Did I Mention Fluff, F/M, Family, Family Vacation, Fluff, Fluff fest, Naegiri - Freeform, Next Gen AU, fan child, naegiri fanchild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-08-31 01:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8557060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capnii/pseuds/Capnii
Summary: Makoto and Kyoko's son Kazuki is turning five. Hajime Hinata convinces Makoto to visit Jabberwock Island to celebrate Kazuki's birthday. Hajime tries too hard to keep everyone out of trouble, and Nagito is persistent in making Makoto's family happy. Apparently Kazuki isn't the only child walking around the island. While organized chaos ensues, Kyoko has been trying to find time to be alone with Makoto for some reason. Needless to say, this family vacation is one nobody will ever forget.





	1. Let's Go to Jabberwock Island!

**Author's Note:**

> So I had this idea in my head, and decided to ask my followers on Tumblr if they'd be interested in a Naegiri Fluffy Family Fic which included my fanson, Kazuki. The response was overwhelmingly positive, so here we are. I hope you enjoy this chapter fic.

Jabberwock Island had been considered closed off from the world for years. The island known for its tourism was only accessible by what remained of the Future Foundation. What many didn’t know was that Jabberwock Island was once again, home to the former “Remnants of Despair.” Before returning to the island, they spent their moments in hiding, and disguised themselves from the public. After deciding they weren’t fond of hiding their identities, as well as the possibility of being discovered, the remnants made Jabberwock Island their permanent home, where they planned to restore the island to what it was before the tragedy. The group was thankful for their second chance at life. They’d always be thankful for the person who believed the good in them. They’d express their appreciation for him in any way they could.

Once a month, the leader of the group, Hajime Hinata, made it his personal goal to contact the person responsible for their freedom and second chance at life. He was undo no obligation to do so. There was never any rule in regards to contact with the outside world. Hajime did it under the kindness of his heart, and to show how much he appreciated Makoto Naegi, the headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy. 

Hajime and his group had not seen Makoto in the flesh for years, due to Makoto’s busy life. The last time they saw Makoto, was seven years ago, just after Makoto married Kyoko Kirigiri. Everyone had returned to the island at that time. The newly married couple made a quick stop to Jabberwock Island before going on their honeymoon. Seven years was a long time, yet time seemed to move by in the blink of an eye. 

“You should see the island,” Hajime suggested while he spoke to Makoto over video chat. “You wouldn’t recognize it.” 

“I’m sure it’s beautiful,” Makoto stated. “You’ve all been working hard these past years. I really would love to visit and see it for myself.”

“I’m sure you could. Why not bring that family of yours you keep bragging about over here for a vacation?”

Makoto blushed. “Kyoko and I have been really busy. Not sure if we could take time off for a vacation.”

Hajime sighed. “That’s too bad. Everyone wants to see you and meet your son. How old is he again?”

“He’s-”

“Who are you talking to, Hajime?” a soft voice called out from Hajime’s side of the call.

Hajime looked around in almost a panic before being pushed aside by Nagito Komaeda. The minute Nagito saw Makoto’s face, his eyes lit up. Nagito admired Makoto dearly, though some considered his admiration an obsession of some sort. Nobody really knew.

“Naegi!” Nagito gasped. “Did Hajime mention you coming and visiting? I’d love to see you again! He also mentioned your son, didn’t he?”

“Yeah he did,” Makoto replied in embarrassment. 

“What is his name again?”

“His name is Kazuki.”

Nagito’s face lit up even more. “Kazuki! He’s been given a beautiful name! How is it written in kanji?”

Hajime shoved Nagito off the screen. “See what I mean, Naegi?” Hajime said. “We’d really like a visit from you. Maybe your visit will shut Komaeda up for a while.”

Makoto laughed and looked over at his calendar. A red circle was over a date in the calendar.  “Kazuki’s 5th Birthday!” was written inside that circle. He wondered if a trip to Jabberwock Island would be an ideal place to celebrate Kazuki’s birthday. Makoto took a pen and counted back a couple days before the date of his son’s birthday. He figured taking a few days off for a birthday vacation wouldn’t hurt. 

His eyes looked over to the photo of Kyoko holding Kazuki when he was two-years-old. He focused on the soft smile Kyoko wore on her face. She didn’t smile as much as she used to. Kyoko took over the Kirigiri detective agency one year before Kazuki was born. Cases started out slow for her at first, but as of recent, cases began to pile up, and Kyoko insisted she take all of them. She’d come home exhausted, have dinner, then retire to the bedroom only to look over the day’s case files. If anybody was in dire need of a vacation, it was her. Makoto turned his attention back to the video call.

“How about this? Kazuki’s birthday is in a couple weeks. Maybe we could come for his birthday?”

Makoto and Hajime went over the details regarding the trip. The family would arrive by ship, and spend five days on the island. Hajime promised to Makoto that Kazuki would have the best birthday celebration ever. Hajime smiled even after he ended the call with Makoto. He thought about how nice it would be to have company on the island again. He looked over at Nagito, who was lying on the floor and looking up at Hajime. Hajime instantly frowned.    


“You better be on your best behavior while they’re here,” Hajime demanded.

“Oh, of course!” Nagito chimed. “I wouldn’t want to do anything to upset them. After all, they’re such a lovely family, it makes me envious. I promise that I’ll be sure they have the best days of their lives here. You can count on me!”

Hajime sighed and ignored Nagito’s statement. “I better tell the others and make sure they behave properly as well.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m home,” Makoto called out while he took his shoes off in the entryway of his house. Nobody replied to Makoto. He knew Kyoko wouldn’t be home until late, but Kazuki had to be somewhere.  Makoto heard the sounds of laughter and conversation coming from somewhere in the house. Makoto walked down the hallway to locate the voices. He stopped in front of Kazuki’s bedroom, which was wide open.

He saw his son sitting next to a small table, staring intently at five cups. Across from Kazuki sat Fuhito Kirigiri, Kazuki’s great-grandfather. Makoto analyzed the activity Kazuki was doing with his great-grandfather. He assumed whatever it was, it had to do with detective training. Makoto didn’t expect any less of Fuhito. After all, he trained Kyoko when she was young. 

Kazuki pushed his brown, bushy bangs away from his eyes, only for them to fall back down. After the third failed attempt, he held his bangs back with his hand. A smile cracked on Makoto’s face. He figured it was time the little boy got a haircut. 

“Kazuki, you need to focus,” said Fuhito. “Now tell me with all the clues I’ve given you, which cup has the ball?”

Young Kazuki looked at each cup intensely. He hummed as if it would make him concentrate better. After a couple minutes of thinking, Kazuki reached for the cup on the far left, and yanked it off the table.

“It’s in here!” Kazuki claimed. When the cup was lifted, a small yellow ball was revealed. Kazuki’s face lit up in an instant. “I did it! I found the ball!” Kazuki rose from the floor and started to jump around. “I did it, I did it, I did it!” 

“Great job, Kazuki,” Makoto said from the entrance of Kazuki’s room. Kazuki stopped jumping and stared directly at his father for a few short seconds, before running over and tackling Makoto.

“Daddy, you’re home!” Kazuki cried while he wrapped his short arms around Makoto’s legs. 

Makoto took a step back from the impact between him and his son. He knelt down to give him a hug. “Did you have a good day with your grandfather?”

Kazuki squeezed Makoto tight. “Yeah! Grandpa is so cool! He knows a lot of fun games. We’ve been playing all day!”

Makoto looked over at Fuhito, who was making his way towards him. “Thank you for watching Kazuki at the last minute.”

Fuhito nodded slightly. “It’s nice to see you and Kyoko are raising your son well.” He looked down at his great-grandson. “I noticed Kyoko began teaching him basic detective skills. The Kirigiri blood pumps strong in him.”

“She just started teaching Kazuki a few months ago,” Makoto noted. “He really likes it. Kyoko also takes him to the detective agency, though today was an exception. Murder case. I would have taken him if I wouldn’t have had an important meeting.”

“I’d be happy to watch over him if need be,” Fuhito claimed. “Being around Kazuki reminds me of when Kyoko was his age.” A small smile crept on his lips. “Which brings me to my next point. When should I expect another great-grandchild from you two?”

Makoto choked on air. His face flushed a bright red though he felt all the blood had drained from his body. “I, um, I-I mean Kyoko and I talked about it a while ago, but we’re so busy as of recent. It may not be the best idea to-” Makoto looked over at Fuhito, who remained silent.  “W-would you like to stay for dinner?” Makoto suggested to change the subject. “Kyoko should be home soon. I’m sure she’d be delighted to see you.”

“Please, Grandpa?” Kazuki begged while still holding onto his father. “I wanna play more games with you!”

Fuhito found himself under Kazuki’s trance, incapable of rejecting his great-grandson’s pleads. “Very well.”

 

* * *

 

Makoto turned the light off in Kazuki’s bedroom after tucking him in. The child had such a busy day, he fell asleep the minute his eyes were shut. Makoto walked into his bedroom and saw Kyoko lying in bed, working on her latest case as she usually did. Makoto wasn’t sure whether to chuckle at how hard Kyoko worked, or if he should worry. He made his way over to his side of the bed and crawled in. He looked at Kyoko lovingly. 

“You should give it a rest,” Makoto suggested. 

“I would have finished earlier if my grandfather hadn’t been here,” Kyoko replied, not taking her eyes off the case file.

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing. I could tell you enjoyed having him here.”

“You’re right I liked seeing him again. Kazuki’s taken a liking to him.” Kyoko sighed. “Listen, the longer someone works on a murder case, the colder the trail becomes.”

“You need to rest, Kyoko.” Makoto sat up and caressed Kyoko’s cheek. “There’s bags under your eyes again.”

Kyoko leaned into Makoto’s touch. He eyes began to droop and exhaustion hit her almost instant. She moved her head away from Makoto and rubbed her eyes.“Makoto, I can’t sleep just yet.”

Makoto frowned. “I know your work is important, but the more you don’t sleep, the more I worry. You really need a rest. That’s why I decided that we-”

“That we what?” Kyoko interrupted.

“That we should go on vacation.”

Kyoko closed her files and looked at Makoto with a stern face. “You made vacation plans without consulting me first?”

“It’s for Kazuki’s birthday,” Makoto stated. 

“Where were you thinking of going?”

“Jabberwock Island.”

“So Hinata finally convinced you to visit.”

“He said the island looks like what it used to be. I thought it would be a great place to celebrate Kazuki’s birthday.”

“How long would we be there?”

“Well, we’d spend one day by boat going there, five days on the island, and one more day to return. So, one week.” 

Kyoko’s eyes widened. “This is why you should have talked to me first. Makoto, we have careers. We can’t just take a week-long vacation.”

“I know Hope’s Peak will be fine. I already asked Togami if he could cover for me, and he agreed.”

Kyoko frowned. “You’re joking.”

“The school isn’t going to burn to the ground,” Makoto stated. 

“It will once Togami starts expelling all the students who worked hard to attend the academy.” Kyoko sighed heavily. “You’re dead set on this vacation, aren’t you? Nothing I say will change your mind?”

Makoto nodded. “I’m serious about this. Not only will this be an amazing experience for Kazuki, but you’ll get time to rest and relax. That and-” Makoto paused. “I thought maybe we could spend some time alone. Perhaps an evening walk along the beach? A romantic dinner under moonlight?”

Kyoko bit her lip. Makoto had to bring up the alone time card. She couldn’t deny herself the pleasure of being alone with her husband. Most days being alone was impossible due to work and their son. Kyoko liked the idea of going on a trip, but she just couldn’t justify a week-long trip. She couldn’t spend all that time and not do some sort of work. 

“Okay, but I’m going to bring paperwork with me,” she stated. 

“Only if you promise you won’t spend all day working with them,” Makoto negotiated.

“And if I receive a phone call regarding work, I am going to take it.”

“That’s fine.”

“Also, if something serious occurs where I’m needed at the agency, I will leave without hesitation.”

“I understand, Kyoko!”

Kyoko returned her attention to her case files. “We’ll have a nice time.”

* * *

 

Kazuki Naegi


	2. Welcome to the Island

Makoto frantically ran the perimeter of the ship while he tried to figure out how a four-year-old was capable of outrunning him. Not only that, but now the four-year-old was completely out of sight. Makoto frantically called out Kazuki’s name in hope the child would show his face. He turned a corner to see Kyoko lounging on a chair and reading another case file. Makoto wasn’t thrilled to see Kyoko working, but at least she was getting sun.

“Have you seen Kazuki?” Makoto asked while he approached his wife. “We were playing a game, and he suddenly ran off.” Kyoko glanced up at Makoto, her eyes covered by sunglasses. She didn’t utter a word to him. “Can you help me find him?” Makoto begged. “He could be anywhere on this ship. What if he crawls into somewhere dangerous?”

“I doubt his location would put him in danger,” Kyoko replied. 

“What makes you say that?”

Kyoko pointed underneath her. “He’s hiding under my chair.”

Makoto gasped and immediately crouched down. Kazuki was indeed under Kyoko. He was lying down, curled up in a ball just so he could fit underneath Kyoko’s chair.

“Not fair!” Kazuki pouted while he crawled out of his hiding place. “I wanted Daddy to find me on his own!”

“Did he tell you where he was?” Makoto asked. He lifted Kazuki off the floor and held him up in his arms.

“No,” Kyoko admitted. “I assumed when I felt something crawling underneath, it had to be him.” Kyoko took her sunglasses off and looked intent at her son. “Don’t run off and hide like that again. You scared your father.”

“Yes, Mommy…” Kazuki grumbled.

Sunglasses covered Kyoko’s eyes once more and she returned to her work. Makoto frowned, indifferent about the deal he made with Kyoko and working during their vacation. Ever since the ship to Jabberwock Island set sail, Kyoko’s had her nose in those files.

“Why not take a break?” Makoto suggested to Kyoko.

Kyoko shook her head. “The more I get done on the ship, the more time I could spend not working on the island.”

“What if I told you that Kazuki and I were gonna try and see jellyfish?”

Kazuki’s eyes lit up. “We’re gonna look for jellyfish?” he asked. He wrapped his arms around his father’s neck and shook him. “I wanna see a jellyfish!”

A coy smile grew on Makoto’s lips. “Do you want your mom to come with us?”

Kazuki stopped shaking his father and looked right at Kyoko. “Please, Mommy? Can you find jellyfish with us?”

The minute Kyoko took one look into Kazuki’s violet eyes, guilt overflowed her. The day Kazuki was born, she made a vow to spend as much time with him as possible. She wanted to be the parent her father couldn’t be. The more Kazuki begged her to come with him and Makoto, the more pain Kyoko felt. Much like everyone else, she couldn’t say no to Kazuki. Kyoko took a deep breath and closed her folder.

“Alright. Let me put this away first.”

Kazuki squirmed in excitement until Makoto set him down on the floor. The child lunged towards Kyoko and squeezed her abdomen tight. He thanked his mother multiple times before he let go, and sprinted to another side of the ship.

“Kazuki, don’t run!” Makoto cried while he chased after his son.

* * *

 

“Where is everyone?” Hajime asked the small crowd of six people. “Naegi and his family are going to be here soon.” He pointed to the ship located on the horizon. “I thought everyone wanted to greet them.”

“They’re still getting ready for their arrival,” Mahiru Koizumi replied. “I think some are even working on the birthday party.”

“The party isn’t for another four days,” Hajime groaned.

“As long as they’re working hard to make sure Naegi and his family are happy, I don’t mind them not being here,” Nagito hummed.

“We could drag their butts over here by force,” Hiyoko Saionji suggested.

“Leave it to me and the old man, Hajime!” Akane Owari cracked her knuckles. Nekomaru Nidai stood behind her with a commanding presence.

“Let’s go get them!” Sonia Nevermind shouted.

“Wait, Naegi has a kid, right?” Mahiru noted. “Wouldn’t having all of us greet them at the same time scare his child?”

Sonia gasped. “I wouldn’t want to make an innocent child cry!”

Hajime pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. “So then is it just going to be the seven of us greeting them?”

“Eight,” Mahiru corrected.

Hajime’s eyes opened in shock. “Who else is here?”

Hajime looked behind the group to see Mikan Tsumiki jogging over to the group. Her loud pants echoed, as well as a numerous amount of apologies for being late.

“Ah, one more person,” Nagito whispered. “How lovely.”

“I’m so sorry!” Mikan cried when she finally made it to the group. “I got caught up in making sure I had enough medical supplies in case something bad happens!”

“Everything will be fine,” Hajime assured her. “So there’s eight of us?”

“I didn’t see anybody following me,” Mikan admitted. “I’m sorry, should I have looked for the others?”

“Yes, and you failed us all,” Hiyoko sneered. Mikan squeaked in fear.

“Knock it off,” Hajime commanded. “This is fine. If we go off looking for the others, Naegi could show up when we’re all gone. It’d be rude to not have someone here.”

“That would ruin his vacation!” Nagito gasped.

“That’s a little overdramatic,” Akane muttered.

“I’ll go get them!” Nekomaru announced.

Hajime held his hands up. “I thought we agreed that we’d stay-” he couldn’t finish his statement before Nekomaru ran off at seemingly light speed. “Okay, so it’s seven of us again.”

Nekomaru had yet to return with the others when the ship docked. Hajime crossed his fingers in hopes Makoto wouldn’t be too upset with everybody not being around to say hello. After all, the group had the rest of the week to spend time with him and his family. Though, Hajime was concerned about his friends’ behaviors; spending a year brainwashed in despair and who knows how long most were in comas didn’t allow them to mature as they probably should have.

The first person Hajime spotted leaving the boat was a small child, who he knew had to be Makoto’s son. He looked just like he did in the pictures Makoto showed him. Kazuki sprinted down with Makoto frantically chasing after him. Kyoko calmly walked behind the two as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Careful!” Makoto called out. “You could fall and get hurt!”

Kazuki stopped as soon as he was in front of Hajime. The child looked up, and a sudden fear surrounded him, despite the soft smile Hajime gave him. As soon as his parents were next to him, Kazuki ran and hid behind Kyoko’s legs. Both Kyoko and Makoto looked at their son in confusion. Hajime was in no way a scary person.

“His eyes,” Kazuki whimpered. “One of them is red.”

Kyoko exhaled quietly before apologizing to Hajime. “Kazuki, that was rude,” she told her son.

Hajime chuckled. “It’s okay. It’s not the first time I’ve gotten that reaction.”

Kyoko had every intention to continue her lecture regarding Kazuki’s fear, but was interrupted by the wave of people who were there to greet them. Once the group all had one look at Kazuki, all attention was brought to him. Kazuki continued to hide behind his mother. While all eyes were on the child, Hajime took the opportunity to chat with Makoto for a brief moment.

“I want you to know, Naegi,” Hajime started, “that I plan to make sure everyone won’t cause trouble for you three.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Makoto said calmly. “I doubt anything could ruin this trip.”

“Well, if anybody is bothering you, let me know. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Seriously, Hinata, I’m sure we won’t need-”

“Naegi!” Nagito called out. Makoto looked to see Nagito holding Kazuki. Kazuki had a smile on his face and wouldn’t stop giggling.

“Put him down before you hurt him,” Hajime groaned.

“I’m not going to drop him,” Nagito claimed. “If I did that, it’d ruin his vacation!”

Hajime leaned closer to Makoto. “Which reminds me, Komaeda has been going on about making sure you guys are happy all week. He may bother you more than the others would.”

Nagito walked over to Makoto and Hajime with Kazuki still in his arms. “Your son is beautiful,” Nagito gasped. “He reminds me of you, Naegi; full of hope.”

Makoto blushed. “Thank you, Komaeda.”

“Also, I wanted to tell you personally that I surrendered my room for you so you and your family could stay there.”

“Aren’t there any extra rooms?”

“Visitors were the last things on our minds when we started reconstructing the island,” Hajime admitted. “We made sure we had one room for each of us, and left it at that.”

“So one of us had to give our room up for you,” Nagito continued. “It’s unfortunate to hand a room over, but I said I would do it. I thought it would be a great honor if Makoto Naegi slept in my room.” Nagito flashed a smile. “Plus, while you’re here, I get to room with Hajime.”

A groan escaped Hajime’s lips, though he didn’t say anything back to his friend. “It’s going to be dark soon,” he said, completely changing the subject. “I’ll help you guys get settled in.”

* * *

 

A loud yawn could be heard throughout the room given to Makoto, Kyoko, and Kazuki. The minute Kazuki jumped on the bed, he was entranced by sleep’s spell. His eyes drooped low while he struggled to curl up under the blankets before drifting off to sleep. Makoto laughed while he watched his son try to get to bed on his own. 

“He’s had a big day,” Kyoko stated while she pushed the fire safe that kept her case files under the bed.

“He took up the entire bed,” Makoto noted. “I don’t think there’s room for us.”

“When he’s this tired, not even an earthquake can wake him up. Just push him over.”

Makoto hesitated for a moment. “Then again, just because he’s asleep doesn’t mean we have to.” He walked over to Kyoko and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Maybe we could go for a walk on the beach? Better yet, we could explore the island and see what everyone has done with it.”

Kyoko bit her lip. She placed a hand over Makoto’s. “I should think about finishing that last documentation,” she muttered.

“You worked almost all day,” Makoto whined. “We’re on vacation, Kyoko. I want to spend every moment I can with you.”

“We have all week, Makoto.”

“We don’t know that for sure. For all we know everyone could have something for us to do every day we’re here. We may not get alone time.” Makoto buried his head in Kyoko’s shoulder. “Just one small walk, please?”

It became painfully obvious just where Kazuki got his begging from. Her brain argued with her that she needed to work, but her heart fought back and reminded her how she barely spent time alone with Makoto. She looked up at her sleeping son. Instantly, she worried about his safety. Kyoko didn’t know if he’d be okay if she left with Makoto. If she and Makoto were to leave, he’d be alone, and vulnerable. Sure, they could lock the door, but Kyoko felt that wasn’t enough. The room looked easy for anyone to break into.

“I’m worried about leaving Kazuki here,” Kyoko admitted.

“Why?” Makoto asked. “He’s not going anywhere.”

“Someone could break in and try to hurt him.”

“That’s ridiculous, Kyoko. Nobody here would do that to him.”

“Makoto, everyone here used to be Remnants of Despair.”

Makoto felt like a heavy weight had dropped in his stomach. He should have known Kyoko didn’t trust anyone here. “They’re not despair anymore,” Makoto reminded her. “They haven’t even shown signs of returning to despair. They know what they did is wrong. They’ve spent years trying to make up for the damage they’ve caused.”

“I know,” Kyoko said, stern. “But have you forgotten that I barely put my trust in anyone? You expect me to leave my sleeping son alone and vulnerable in an unknown place?”

“The island isn’t…” Makoto frowned. There was no way he would be alone with Kyoko this weekend.

“I think it’s best if we don’t leave him alone like this. Tomorrow we can find something that’ll block the window. Then perhaps he will be safe enough to sleep on his own.”

“He’s safe right now! Kyoko, I trust these guys. They’ve had a clean record for years. Hinata calls me every month. Plus, whenever I talk to Hinata, there’s always someone interrupting the call to talk to me. They smile and laugh as we talk. You’ve even been around for our conversations a few times.”

Kyoko sat still to try and figure out what to tell Makoto. He was stubborn about trusting people as she was to not trusting anyone. “...You’re relentless.”

Makoto lowered his head. “I just want to be alone with you, Kyoko. It’s been so long.” Makoto clung onto Kyoko again, tighter than before. “If you really don’t wanna leave Kazuki alone, then we won’t go anywhere. Just, please, don’t go back to work.”

Kyoko shifted her body so she could look Makoto in the eyes. “Was there something you had in mind?”

Makoto shook his head. “There’s not much we could do except talk.” His glance shifted once again to his sleeping son. A conversation he had with Kyoko a few months ago found itself poking from his subconscious.

“Kyoko,” Makoto said, his voice shook up. “Do you ever wonder if our workload will slow down?”

“It’s difficult to say,” Kyoko admitted. “You get more students each upcoming school year. I get at least one new murder case a week.”

“That’s too bad,” Makoto muttered. He looked up at Kazuki again. “I can’t believe he’s going to be five."

“It is difficult to believe,” Kyoko agreed. “Time has moved fast.”

“I kind of miss the days when he was a baby.” Makoto lowered his head. “I’d love to have that experience again.”

Kyoko placed a finger on her chin and thought about Makoto’s words. “If this is about having another child,” Kyoko began. “We already discussed this. We don’t have the time to-”

“I know,” Makoto interrupted. “I can’t help but hope one day we could.”

Kyoko pressed her lips against Makoto’s forehead. “Keep thinking like that,” she demanded. “Perhaps we’ll be able to clear our schedules in the future.” 

Makoto finally smiled. “You’re right.” Makoto began to laugh. “What would I do without you?”  
  
Kyoko shrugged. “I’d rather not think about ‘what ifs’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of chapter stories are always a rough start for me. I'm doing the best I can though. Being self-taught is difficult.
> 
> Also I'm thinking each day will be one chapter. So chapters will be longer than the first two. Honestly this second chapter should have been part of the first. To be even more honest...I almost deleted the first chapter from the site the same day I posted it. But it's still around; I'm still writing this. Thanks for supporting and whatnot. It means a lot.


	3. Day One Has Lots of Food and Sandcastles!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was hit with a snag when it came to writing this. Life gets in the way, and so does the occasional mental roadblock. I'm also at the point in the fic where I don't know what I'm doing but I'm trying to get to where I know what I want to write. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Chaptered fics are tough for me to write.

“Wake up, it’s morning!” shouted an excited Kazuki. He rocked both his parents until one of them showed any sign of waking up. 

At some point in the night, Makoto and Kyoko managed to find a way to fit on the small bed provided to them, with Kazuki between them. They weren’t sure when exactly they fell asleep, but with how tired both of them were when their son pounced on them, it must have been late. Neither one of them wanted to move or open their eyes.

“Come on!” Kazuki whined. “Mommy, Daddy, wake up! I’m hungry!”

There was no way Kazuki would stop until he got what he wanted. Kyoko opened her eyes, slightly cranky from her lack of sleep. Makoto’s eyes opened as well and immediately saw how upset Kyoko was. 

“Kazuki,” Makoto groaned. “Your mom and I are trying to sleep.”

“But it’s morning,” Kazuki noted. “It’s breakfast time. I’m hungry.”

Before Makoto could try and reason with his son, Kyoko had crawled out of bed. “Alright, I’ll take you to get breakfast,” she murmured while she walked over to change clothes. She moved as if she had a full night’s rest, much to Makoto’s surprise. She also looked as if she wasn’t annoyed by her abrupt awaken.

“Daddy said the food here is amazing,” Kazuki said while he attempted to put his shoes on by himself. “Is it true?”

“It is,” Kyoko mumbled. She knelt down and helped her son tie his shoes.

Makoto chuckled and rolled out of bed with as little grace as possible. “I’ll take him,” he said. “Kyoko, go back to sleep.”

“I’m awake,” Kyoko noted. “You should go back to bed.”

“Can we all go?” Kazuki asked, not aware of how tired both his parents were. All he understood was that it was morning, and that he was awake. If he was up, then everyone else should be as well. He begged until both Makoto and Kyoko escorted him to breakfast.

* * *

Kazuki had never seen so much food in his short lifetime. Stacks of breakfast items were almost as tall as him! Some of the foods he couldn’t recognize. The child scurried over to the seemingly endless breakfast. He swore everything was sparkling.

“This seems a bit overkill,” Kyoko mumbled to Makoto. 

“Well, we aren’t the only ones on the island,” Makoto reminded her. “This is probably for everybody.”

“That’s true, but I doubt everyone here could eat all that much,” Kyoko noted. The couple watched Kazuki carefully as he took a plate and attempted to take one of everything. “I should help Kazuki before his meal falls to the floor... and teach him about portion sizes.”

Makoto followed his wife over to their son. He enjoyed the sight of Kyoko and Kazuki together. Kyoko hadn’t spent time with Kazuki as of recent, thanks to a current spike in crimes. When their son was younger, Kyoko would take him to work. The only exception would be if she was working on a murder case.  As of recent, the Kirigiri detective agency were getting more and more murder cases. She knew Kazuki was too young to see the horrific sight of a corpse. While he watched Kyoko help Kazuki, Makoto could see the faintest of smiles on her lips. 

Makoto walked over to his family with a plate in his own hands. “Isn’t this better than doing work?” he said slyly to Kyoko.

“I never said I’d rather be working,” she explained. “I would rather spend days like this, but that’s not the life of a detective. Even when you're off the field, you still have much to do.”

After Kazuki finished filling his plate with more food than he could eat, he jogged over to the closest table. Kyoko followed her son close, convinced he would spill. Makoto noticed she didn’t have a plate of her own. He figured she’d get something after Kazuki had settled down. 

Kyoko closed her eyes as she felt exhaustion overcome her once she sat down. Though her moment of rest was interrupted when she heard the sound of a cup being placed in front of her. She opened her eyes and saw a cup of coffee in front of her. She looked to her side and saw a rather short man standing by her with a grin on his face. Immediately, Kyoko recognized him - Teruteru Hanamura. 

“Good morning!” Teruteru exclaimed.

“Good morning!” Kazuki replied, his mouth stuffed with egg. 

“Nice to see he’s enjoying my cooking. I was up early in the morning to cook everything you see here. It would be a shame if everything went to waste.” 

Kyoko kept her attention to the mug in front of her. “What’s this?” she asked.

“Well, your husband mentioned how much you love luwak coffee,” he explained. “So I made the extra effort to have some shipped to the island, just for you.” Teruteru eyed Kyoko’s face carefully. “Perhaps you could use the caffeine. Up late? Maybe tired from a late night rendezvous on the beach with the husband?” Teruteru used his fingers to make an obscene gesture, followed by a wink.

Kyoko glared at the cook. “My son is right here,” she growled. She looked away from the man when Makoto sat down at the table across from her. “At least try to act appropriate when in front of a child.”

“I’m being as subtle as I can,” Teruteru sang.

“You better pray he didn’t pick up on that hand movement.”

Makoto sat down across from Kyoko. He looked at Teruteru and smiled fondly. “This is incredible, Hanamura.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he replied. “It’s not everyday you get to cook for a hero and his family. Just wait until you see what I have planned for your son’s birthday! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll return to the kitchen. I’m a chef, not a waiter.” 

As soon as Teruteru was out of sight, Kyoko eyed the coffee given to her. As much as the aroma pleased her, she couldn’t trust the cook enough to think he wouldn’t have altered the drink in any way. Even if he didn’t poison it, Kyoko knew he had a track record of putting other substances in food and drink, such as aphrodisiacs. 

“Want me to test it?” Makoto asked after he noticed Kyoko eyeing the drink. “You know, so you know there’s nothing wrong with it?”

Kyoko looked up and said in her general deadpan tone, “You don’t like coffee.”

“I know, but I could tolerate a sip.”

“I’d rather not put you in danger.”

“Kyoko, we’re not in danger. I’ll prove it to you.” He snatched the mug away from her and took a quick sip. Makoto stuck his tongue out in disgust immediately after. He’d never understand how Kyoko could enjoy a drink so bitter. He managed to smile slightly, even with the bad taste in his mouth. “See? I’m not dying.”

“Idiot,” Kyoko grumbled. She watched Makoto carefully as minutes passed. During this time, Kazuki had leaned over to rest his head on Kyoko’s side. After concluding that the drink had not been poisoned, she succumbed to drinking the coffee. She really did need the caffeine. 

“I was thinking maybe today we could go to the beach,” Makoto suggested. “Maybe go for a swim? Build a sandcastle?”

“I wanna build a sandcastle!” Kazuki cried, followed by a hiccup. “Maybe later though, I don’t feel good.” Kyoko’s eyes darted over to her son in a panic. Teruteru may not have poisoned the coffee, but what if he did it to the food?

“You ate a lot,” Makoto stated. “I don’t think I’ve seen you eat so much before.” He looked at Kyoko to reassure her their son was fine. “When you eat as much as you did, you’re going to feel sick.” He stood up, walked to the other side of the table, and picked Kazuki up. “Let’s go back to our room and have you rest up a bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Kazuki mumbled. “Then we can build sandcastles?”

“Yes, we’ll build sandcastles.” 

Kyoko followed Makoto and Kazuki back to their room. She watched Kazuki carefully in case there was any sign of poisoning. She couldn’t believe how careless she was back there. Sure, she was suspicious of her coffee, but she should have been with the food as well. She only felt slight relief because Makoto looked fine and he had eaten the food as well. She had to think perhaps Makoto was right, and that Kazuki only felt ill because of how much he ate. 

Kazuki was bouncing off the walls after an hour. During this time, Kyoko tried to get work done, but guilt overcame her the minute she pulled out her safe. She didn’t know if it was because she worried about her son, or if Makoto’s pleads from the previous day had gotten to her. All she could do was just stare at the files, barely paying attention to the information on them. She’d probably get nothing done today. Kyoko didn’t protest when Makoto asked her to join him and Kazuki to the beach. 

The sun burned bright against the soft sand, but that didn’t stop young Kazuki from running onto the beach without sandals. He’d only seen the beach on television, and in picture books. He shouted to his parents to hurry up and join him. Makoto was ready to follow, but Kyoko pulled him back. 

“We need to talk,” she mumbled. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Kyoko bit her lip. “I know I haven’t been trusting everyone here, and I believe it’s bothering you.”

“I told you last night, I understand where you’re coming from. You haven’t talked to these guys as much as I have.” Makoto smiled softly at Kyoko. “But, I think you could benefit from trusting them even a little bit.”

“If they want me to trust them, they have to earn it, like you did.”

“Well, nobody tried to break in our room last night while we slept,” Makoto reminded her. “And our breakfast wasn’t poisoned. I think we’re off to a good start. Also, if it weren’t for one of them, Mikan Tsumiki, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

Kyoko didn’t respond to Makoto at first. She looked out to the beach where Kazuki was making a hill of sand half his height. Guilt flooded her mind once again, but she tried to justify her lack of trust. Makoto was right. If it weren’t for Mikan Tsumiki reviving her during the final killing game, Kyoko wouldn’t be here today. She wouldn’t be married to Makoto. Kazuki would have never existed. In her mind, she couldn’t figure out why a Remnant of Despair would save someone’s life. Perhaps Makoto did have merit in his words. Yet, one person changing for the good didn’t mean every one of them changed. 

“I suppose they're on their way to earning my trust,” Kyoko admitted. 

“Are you coming?” Kazuki shouted. “I’m almost done with my first sandcastle!”

Once Makoto and Kyoko walked onto the beach, Kazuki left his sandcastle hill and began to work on another one. This time, he was at the aide of his parents. Kazuki stuck his tongue out in concentration as he tried to mimic how Makoto made walls for the sandcastle. Kyoko helped with the sandcastle as well, a slight smile curved her lips as she patted the sand. 

Suddenly, Kazuki felt something hit him on the top of his head. He whined from the slight pain, which brought the attention of Makoto and Kyoko. Kazuki turned around, and saw a girl only a few inches shorter than him. She held a plastic sword in her hand, which she used to hit Kazuki in the head. 

“I killed you,” the girl said to Kazuki. Kazuki stared at her in confusion, so she hit him again with the plastic sword. “I killed you,” she repeated. Kazuki still didn’t understand. “You’re supposed to fall over!” she shouted in frustration.

“Makoto,” Kyoko whispered. “You didn’t tell me there was another child on the island.”

“I thought you knew,” Makoto whispered back. 

Kyoko analyzed the features of the little girl. Her hair was blonde and chin-length, and her eyes were bright green. Kyoko figured the girl had to be Kazuki’s age, if not younger. If her appearance wasn’t obvious to whom she resembled, her temperament was a giveaway. “She must be a child of Kuzuryuu.”

“You’re right,” Makoto replied, followed by a laugh. “She looks a lot like him, don’t you think?”

The couple looked back at the two kids. The girl had given Kazuki her plastic sword and was showing him how to swing it around. Kazuki looked uneasy at first, and barely swung the sword around. She took her sword back and hit Kazuki over the head again.

“Now you’re supposed to scream, ‘Aahh!’ and fall down, got it?” the girl grumbled. 

“Why?” Kazuki asked. 

“Because that’s what you do when you are hit with a sword!”

Kyoko watched the kids, unamused. “Nice to see he’s already teaching her how to kill,” she said with sarcasm. “Where is he, anyway? You’d think he’d look after his daughter.”

“I’ll find out,” Makoto stated. “Excuse me?” he asked the girl. “Can you tell me your name?”

She looked over at Makoto. “My name is Natsumi Kuzuryuu.”

“Where is your mom and dad?”

Natsumi thought for a moment. “Mom and Dad are in that place with the music.”

“Do they know you’re here?”

“I don’t know.” 

Makoto could hear Kyoko sigh in frustration. “Would you like to build sandcastles with us?” Makoto asked Natsumi.

“Hmm…” Natsumi hummed. “Yeah, okay.” She tossed her plastic sword to the side and sat down next to Kazuki, who smiled at her.

“My name is Kazuki Naegi,” Kazuki said sweetly. “Do you know how to make sandcastles?”

“I’m the best at sandcastles,” Natsumi replied. 

The morning and early afternoon was spent on the beach. At one point in time, Makoto and Kyoko stepped back to let the two kids, who quickly became friends, build sandcastles. Natsumi had a commanding presence for her age, and tended to boss Kazuki around in terms of how to make a sandcastle. While they worked on their final castle, Natsumi took her sword from the sand and began to draw a circle around the castle. 

“Aunt Sonia told me castles should have a moat,” Natsumi told Kazuki.

“What’s a moat?” Kazuki asked.

“You put water in it and keeps bad people away.” Natsumi walked around the sandcastle again to deepen the moat. “But I got my sword, so I don’t need a moat. You don’t have a sword. The moat is for you.”

“Thank you, Natsumi!”

“I think some bad people can get past moats,” Natsumi continued, ignoring Kazuki’s gratitude. “Aunt Sonia says they don’t, but I think they do.”

“What happens if they do?” Kazuki asked, afraid.

“I told you, I have my sword!” Natsumi swung her sword around violently. “So I’m gonna have to protect you!”

Off in the distance, Makoto and Kyoko were sitting in the shade watching the two children play. Makoto laughed at the two while they played. It wasn’t often Kazuki spent time with kids his age outside preschool.

“You have to admit Kyoko,” Makoto said before he leaned his head on her shoulder, “they are pretty cute playing together.”

Kyoko hesitated before answering Makoto. “Just as long as that sword remains plastic...and there aren’t any bruises on my son.”

* * *

Almost every set of ears were bleeding in the newly-build music club. The screech of a guitar could be heard for miles from the stage. Even after the guitar strings stopped vibrating, its echos lasted for what felt like minutes. Ibuki Mioda looked down at her small crowd with a huge grin on her face.

“And that’s Ibuki’s new birthday song!” Ibuki exclaimed.

“How the fuck was that a birthday song?” Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu shouted, his hands still covering his ears.. “You’ll make the kid go deaf before you begin singing!”

“I have to agree with Kuzuryuu,” Nagito stated. His hands weren’t covered, unlike everyone else. “Your music is fantastic, but I just wonder if it’s...too much for a young child like Kazuki.”

“What?” Ibuki screeched. “Ibuki thinks little Kazuki will love the song!” She turned her attention to Hajime, who was slowly uncovering his ears. “Hajime thinks the song is amazing, right?”

Hajime hesitated before speaking. “Actually, Mioda. I was thinking of doing something else for the birthday party.”

“Like what?” Ibuki shouted, hurt. “Nothing is better than live music!”

“It’s not that there’s anything better than live music,” Hajime started, careful with his words. “You’re fantastic at what you do. It’s just that your music is, erm-”

“You’re music is too fucking inappropriate for a five-year-old’s birthday party!” Fuyuhiko hollered. 

“Fuyuhiko’s mouth is too inappropriate for a five-year-old’s birthday party!” Ibuki retaliated.

“Okay, let’s calm down,” Hajime pleaded. “Mioda, I was thinking maybe it’d be fun for everyone if we did something like karaoke? Kind of like how they do it in America?”

“I like that idea,” Nagito stated. “Do you think we could sing a song together, Hajime?”

“We’ll see,” Hajime sighed.

“Not fair!” Ibuki whined. “Ibuki created a whole concert set list for the party! It was Ibuki’s gift!”

“Maybe if she played some light music for once,” Fuyuhiko sneered. 

“Okay, Mioda, how about just one song?” Hajime suggested. 

“That’s more like it!” Ibuki cheered. “And once little Kazuki’s birthday song is finished, Ibuki will show you all how karaoke is done!” 

“You gotta be kidding,” Fuyuhiko said to Hajime. 

“I’ll give Naegi’s son the best noise-cancelling ear plugs we have,” Hajime muttered. “That way she won’t damage his hearing.”

“There better be enough for the rest of us. Why else do you think I’d have Natsumi stay behind instead of coming with me?”

Hajime looked around and noted that the little girl was, indeed, nowhere to be found. “Where is she then? Is she with Pekoyama?”

“Beats me. Peko came here with me, but left a bit ago wanting to check up on Natsumi. I’m sure Natsumi is fine. Probably found Naegi’s kid and tried to play ‘assassin’ with him.”

* * *

Much like the previous night, Kazuki was sprawled up on the bed, fast asleep. Kyoko took this moment of silence and solitude to do more paperwork. Her vision blurred quickly from exhaustion. She never caught up on the sleep she lost the night before. Her stomach started to churn, and figured it was tied to her lack of sleep. She kept her focus on her work the best she could. She wouldn’t let her blurry eyes and upset stomach keep her away from getting anything done tonight.

A pair of arms slipped down Kyoko’s shoulders. Hands rested on her stomach. She knew all too well that Makoto was trying to take her attention away from her work. As much as she enjoyed Makoto’s touch, she wished he could give her at least an hour of time to herself. 

“How about this?” Makoto whispered. “Let's go swimming in the pool? It’s not too far from the room, so you wouldn’t need to worry about Kazuki.”

A small smile crept on Kyoko’s lips. Makoto was so persistent in spending time with her, and it was cute. “Your offer does sound nice,” Kyoko admitted. 

Makoto pressed his lips to the back of Kyoko’s head. “Then let’s go. It’s a perfect night.”

Kyoko bit her lip. “...It does sound nice, but we shouldn’t.”

“What?” Makoto whined. “Why? Is this about your work?”

“Somewhat.” Kyoko placed her free hand over Makoto’s, that still rested on her stomach. “I’m also not feeling well. Don’t worry about it too much, I probably need sleep.”

“Then go to bed,” Makoto pleaded. “We can go out tomorrow night.”

“Five more pages,” Kyoko grumbled. 

“Kyoko…”

“I won’t take long.”

Another kiss was planted on her head. “You’re a workaholic,” Makoto mumbled. “Promise me though we’ll spend time alone tomorrow?”

Kyoko’s shoulder’s slumped. She kept her head down, facing her paperwork. After a deep breath she replied, “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Natsumi Kuzuryuu


	4. Friendly Outings

Makoto had managed to sneak Kazuki and himself out of the room without waking Kyoko. Makoto figured she needed all the sleep she could get after countless nights of never sleeping enough. Before leaving, he had written a note letting her know where they would be, in case she woke up before they came back. She never had the tendency to sleep in late anyway.

When the father and son walked into the dining house for breakfast, they were greeted by both Nekomaru and Akane. On the other end of the room sat Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Natsumi. As soon as Natsumi caught sight of Kazuki, she jumped out of her seat and ran towards him. Small bodies collided with one another, and Kazuki was pinned to the ground. 

“It’s you!” Natsumi shouted in excitement. “You’re here! What’s your name? I can’t remember.”

“K-Kazuki N-Naegi,” Kazuki stuttered just before he was about to cry. Never had he experienced pain like being tackled onto hard flooring. His sobs echoed throughout the room, bringing everyone’s attention to him.

In an instant, Fuyuhiko sprinted over towards the kids and pulled Natsumi off Kazuki. He glared at his daughter, who did not understand what she did wrong. All she knew was that she was excited to see her new friend, and asked for his name. 

“What did you to him?” Fuyuhiko barked. 

“I was just saying hello!” Natsumi replied. 

“You only hurt someone if they hurt you! Pushing someone on the ground is not saying hello! Who taught you to do that?” 

Natsumi pointed to Akane, whose eyes widened immediately after being accused. Akane brought her attention back to the meal in front of her to avoid confrontation. 

Makoto knelt down and helped Kazuki up, who was still crying. The child tried wiping his running tears with his arm, only for more tears to flow. Makoto gently rubbed the back of Kazuki’s head to soothe him. He thanked the heavens Kyoko wasn’t around to see him get hurt. Part of him thought this would be the end of their vacation if she saw.

“You’ll be okay,” Makoto said softly to Kazuki. “It’ll stop hurting soon.” Kazuki nodded weakly, but continued to cry. 

Once Fuyuhiko had finished scolding Natsumi, he set her down and demanded she give Kazuki an apology. 

“I’m sorry, Kazuki,” she mumbled, still not understanding why she had to apologize in the first place.

Kazuki let out a couple more sobs before he smiled weakly at Natsumi. “It’s okay…I don’t hurt as much now.”   


“Wanna eat together?” 

Kazuki nodded slightly. Natsumi took him by the arm and led him to the tables filled with food. 

Hesitantly, Fuyuhiko approached Makoto. “Listen, if Natsumi ever causes you and your kid trouble like that, you can just tell her to look for Peko. She’ll leave you alone then.”

“She’s not a bother,” Makoto replied, followed by a nervous laugh. 

“How can you say that when she fuckin’ assaulted your kid?” He sighed heavily. “Okay, she’s the only kid on the island. She’s never interacted with someone her age. You’re probably thinking I’m selfish and stupid for having her on the island. I already know that.”

“I never said that, Kuzuryuu.”

“Whatever, you’re probably thinkin’ it. Natsumi won’t be alone for long. Her, Peko, and I are gonna leave the island. That way she can go to a preschool or some shit. Nobody else knows, so don’t go spreading that around.”

“You are going to tell everyone soon though, right?”

“Of course I am! What do you take me for, an idiot? It’ll be after you leave.”

The two fathers looked over at their children, who now sat across from Peko. Kazuki had stopped crying, and now smiled just like Makoto did. Natsumi’s table manners were surprisingly polite, possibly due to the influence of Peko, who watched the children carefully. The minute something spilt on Natsumi’s face, Peko was there to wipe whatever it was away. 

After the kids had finished eating, they raced over to their fathers with excitement in their eyes. Kazuki tugged on the end of Makoto’s shorts almost impatiently, while Natsumi stood behind and swayed her skirt back-and-forth.

“Daddy, can I play with Natsumi?” Kazuki asked. “Please? She said she wanted to show me something really cool.”

“Remember, no grown ups!” Natsumi called out.

Makoto looked over towards Fuyuhiko. “Do you let her go off on her own?”

“She hasn’t died yet,” Fuyuhiko responded. “Hasn’t even gotten hurt doing so.”

Makoto looked back at his son. “Promise me you’ll be careful, okay? We don’t want to worry your mom.”

Kazuki nodded. “I’ll be good.”

“Natsumi,” Fuyuhiko said, his head up high, “don’t be gone for too long. Remember you have swimming lessons with Nidai.”

“Yes, Papa.”

* * *

Natsumi ran along the beach with a confused Kazuki. All she told him was that she wanted to show him a special place that nobody else knew about but her. Once they were out of sight from the others, she took him by the hand and ran off. At one of the edges of the beach were a pile of boulders. Natsumi let go of Kazuki’s and easily climbed over them. The young boy was not as agile, and struggled to get himself on top of just one boulder. 

Natsumi rolled her eyes. “I can help.” 

She reached out for Kazuki, who immediately took the assistance. She pulled him up each rock until he was at the same height as her. Without time to rest, Natsumi climbed down the other side. She stomped her foot impatiently while Kazuki carefully crawled down. He wanted to make sure he didn’t hurt himself, just as his father had asked. 

After their obstacle of rocks had been crossed, Natsumi sprinted off again, this time off the beach and into what looked to be an area full of trees and tall grass untouched by human hands. Kazuki struggled to keep up with Natsumi, who was now hidden. Fear flooded Kazuki, who called out for his new friend. He looked down at his feet. He remembered his mother teaching him about footprints, and how they can help find people. 

Carefully he looked to find some sort of print in the dirt, while he tried to listen to Natsumi calling out for him. He took one cautious step in front of the other to follow the prints he eventually managed to find. His breathing was heavy as the fear of being lost forever still swarmed his young mind. Thankfully for the boy, the more he followed the footprints, the louder Natsumi’s voice grew. Not long, he bumped into her. Kazuki looked up to see Natsumi. Her arms crossed and she tapped her foot like she had been waiting for hours.

“How did you get lost?” Natsumi whined. “Grown ups can’t find this place but kids can!” She paused. “You are a kid, yeah?”

Kazuki nodded. “But I’m gonna be five soon!”

“Then we don’t have much time. I wanna show you this place before you get older.” Natsumi walked a few steps ahead, and pulled some of the tall grass back. Behind the grass was a small abandoned den. Natsumi waved Kazuki forwards before walking inside. 

“This is my secret place,” Natsumi said after Kazuki walked inside. “Nobody but me knows about this place. Erm, you know now but don’t tell anybody else!”

Kazuki sat down with his legs crossed. “Why is it a secret?”

“Because I said so,” Natsumi huffed. “I come here all the time. If the grown ups tell me they’re busy, I’ll come here and watch the birds and squirrels. Then I also come here when I wanna be by myself. I come here other times, but I can’t remember why.”

“Doesn’t your mommy and daddy worry about you being alone?”

Natsumi shook her head. “Nah, they know I’m tough. I could beat up a bear if I had to.”

“Really?”

“Really! I’m super strong!” Natsumi smirked. “You’re not as strong as me, so you’re gonna need a bodyguard.”

“What’s a bodyguard?”

“It’s someone who makes sure nobody hurts you.”

“But Mommy and Daddy do that.”

“A bodyguard is different!”

“How?”

Natsumi scowled. “It just is, okay?” She reached for a large stick, and gripped it tight. “Any bear who tries to hurt you will fight me!” She swung the stick around with rapid and random movements. 

“You’re gonna hit me!” Kazuki shouted as he attempted to dodge the stick. “Daddy said I can’t get hurt!”

“No I’m not!” Natsumi shouted. “Fine, I’ll go outside.”

Natsumi bumped past Kazuki so she could continue swinging the stick around. She shouted out into the trees to challenge any potential opponents. Kazuki watched Natsumi’s movements in awe. Her movements were scary up close, but amazing when far away. After Natsumi realized nobody would be coming, she went back inside the den, and started drawing in the dirt. Kazuki looked over to see she was scribbling what he thought were drawings of two people.

“It’s me and you,” Natsumi replied. “This is our secret place now.” 

She finished her drawing, and set the stick down. Natsumi brought her knees to her face and curled up. Kazuki looked over at Natsumi, confused. He hadn’t seen her act like this before. Most of the time, she was excited happy like him. Yet now, she looked sad.

“So don’t leave here. It gets lonely around here. Grown ups are stupid and aren’t as fun.”

Kazuki didn’t respond. He knew that he would leave the island after his birthday, but he didn’t want to make his new friend sad. Kazuki remembered that his mother once told him if he didn’t know what to say, to not say anything. He sat in silence alongside Natsumi until she would once again say something. 

“We gotta go.” Natsumi stood up and walked out of the den. “I told Papa I wouldn’t be late for swimming.”

“Can I come?” Kazuki asked. He made his way out of the den. “I wanna swim. I never did it before, but it sounds fun!”

“Yeah,” Natsumi replied. “Don’t get lost again.”

The pair of kids made their way out of the grass and trees. Once again, Kazuki had trouble crossing the boulders. Natsumi assisted him once again to climb up. He lost his balance coming down, and scraped his knee in the process. He yelped out in pain while he fell down on the sand. He held his leg tight. 

“Are you okay?” Natsumi asked after hearing him shout. 

Kazuki nodded slightly. He let go of his leg to see blood dripping down. “I broke Daddy’s promise,” he whimpered. 

Natsumi grabbed Kazuki’s hand and pulled him up. “That’s nothing!” she claimed. “I get hurt like that and Papa or Mama puts a band-aid on me. Let’s keep going, I can’t be late!”

Kazuki knew he couldn’t sit on the beach alone, so he followed Natsumi across the beach and  to the cabins. Shortly after, Kazuki had completely forgotten about his bleeding leg. He walked along walked down the road with Natsumi until they reached a cabin with Natsumi’s name on it. 

“I get my own room,” Natsumi said. “Mama and Papa sleep in the same room, so I get Mama’s old room.” She reached up to turn the knob and open the door. “I’m gonna change to my swimsuit.”

“Oh, okay!” Kazuki exclaimed. “I can wait here!”

Kazuki sat in front of the door and waited for Natsumi to come out of her room. After ten minutes, she walked out. She had her hands on her hips and smiled. Kazuki stood up and walked alongside Natsumi as they made their way to the pool. 

“Aren’t you gonna change to your swimsuit?” Natsumi asked as they made their way to the pool. 

Kazuki shrugged. “I don’t know which room is mine.”

“You can’t swim without a swimsuit,” Natsumi nagged. “You’re gonna have to figure it out!”

As if luck was on Kazuki’s side, when they made it to the pool, he saw his father at the poolside. He ran over to Makoto without any thought of how slippery the poolside would be. Makoto, who was initially talking to Akane and Nekomaru, glanced over to see Kazuki running. He gasped and called out or Kazuki to stop running. 

“Walk, Kazuki!” Makoto gasped. He excused himself from his conversation with Nekomaru to get his son. Once he was in front of him, he knelt down to Kazuki’s eye-level. “Didn’t you see the water? You could have slipped and fell. Then you’d get hurt, or fall in the pool. You can’t swim yet, remember?”

Kazuki nodded. “I remember. Sorry, Daddy.” 

Makoto sighed and held his arms out to hug Kazuki. Not only was he relieved that Kazuki was still fine, but he continued to thank whatever higher power there was that prevented Kyoko from seeing Kazuki in dangerous situations. He had no idea how she planned to train him as a detective if she kept being overprotective of him. Makoto’s eyes caught the dried blood on Kazuki’s leg. He pulled away from his son and examined his leg. 

“What happened?” Makoto asked. “How did you hurt yourself?”

Kazuki lowered his head. “I fell down. I’m sorry, Daddy.”

Makoto sighed. “Accidents happen. We should get this cleaned up and bandaged.”

“Hey, Naegi!” Nekomaru called out with his booming voice. “Did I just hear you say your son can’t swim?”

“He’s going to learn soon,” Makoto answered. He picked Kazuki up and turned to Nekomaru. “My friend, Hina, is going to start teaching him next week.”

Akane shouted from her lounge chair, “Let the old man teach him! Think of it like a birthday present!”

“Ah, no offense but isn’t Nidai’s training a bit too...harsh?” Makoto flinched at the thought of Kazuki being thrown into the pool by Nekomaru. 

“I will go easy on the kid if if makes you feel better,” Nekomaru replied.

“He’s been teaching little Natsumi over there!” Akane shouted. “She doesn’t have any scrapes or bruises on her!”

Makoto gritted his teeth. “Hina was really looking forward to teaching him though…but I guess one first lesson wouldn’t be too bad.”

Kazuki tugged on his father’s shirt. “Am I gonna swim?”

“We gotta clean up your first.”

“After?” Kazuki’s eyes widened in hopes his father would allow him to go swimming.

“Alright, after,” Makoto replied in defeat. He really couldn’t say no to Kazuki when he pulled off his puppy eyes. It didn’t help that Kazuki’s eyes were exactly like Kyoko’s either. Makoto gave in to his son easily, as long as he would be happy. After all, this week was for him. 

Despite having flotation devices to keep him from submerging, Kazuki clung onto Makoto’s arm for dear life. He never experienced not being able to touch the bottom of the pool before, and it scared him. The thought of swimming excited Kazuki at first, but once Makoto gently dipped him into the water, and he couldn’t feel anything under his feet, he panicked. 

“You’re going to be okay, Kazuki,” Makoto assured him. “You have water wings, remember? They’ll keep your head above the water.”

“Don’t let go!” Kazuki cried out. 

“I won’t, I promise.” Makoto looked over at Nekomaru. “Hey, Nidai,” he called out called out. “Is there another pool that may be more shallow?”

Nekomaru was on the other side of the pool. His muscular arm was extended, which Natsumi used to grip onto while she practiced her kicking. “Sorry, Naegi,” he replied. “When we rebuilt the island, kids were the last thing on our minds!”

“I want Mommy,” Kazuki mumbled. 

Makoto glanced over by the lounge chairs. Kyoko sat on one of the chairs, looking anything but relaxed. He could see how tense her body language was while she conversed with Akane. Makoto couldn’t hear what they were talking about, so he couldn’t figure out if Kyoko was generally tense, or if it was the conversation that left her in that condition. Perhaps she would relax with Kazuki in her arms.

“Okay,” Makoto said in defeat. “Let’s go see your mom.” 

Her body language was even more tense the closer Makoto walked towards Kyoko. He wondered if he was the only one who noticed, as Akane continued to talk Kyoko’s ears off. The current topic was about food, to nobody’s surprise. When Kyoko caught glimpse of Makoto and Kazuki, she sighed in relief. She didn’t know how much longer she could take of Akane’s babbling. 

“By the look on Kazuki’s face, swimming lessons did not go well,” Kyoko said. Her body relaxed almost at an instant. 

“He wanted you,” Makoto replied. Kazuki let go of his father’s neck and reached his arms toward Kyoko. 

“I’m sure one Hina starts teaching him, he won’t be afraid.” She took Kazuki from Makoto’s arms. 

“Hey, Nekomaru is a great teacher!” Akane interrupted. 

“Perhaps for someone with experience,” Kyoko replied.

“He’s been teaching little Natsumi from the start. She’s already a natural swimmer!”

“Not everyone learns the same.” Kyoko stroked Kazuki’s back, who in return let out a yawn.

“Mommy, I’m tired,” Kazuki whined.

“He’s had an eventful morning,” Makoto explained to Kyoko. “Maybe he should nap for a bit.”

“I agree,” Kyoko said. She stood up with Kazuki in her arms, who was just minutes away from falling asleep. “I’ll take him to the cabin.” She figured Kazuki napping would make the perfect excuse for her to slip away from everyone and get some work done. After all, Makoto was more suited for social interactions. She was about to get up and leave, when she finally noticed the bandage around Kazuki’s leg. “What happened?” she asked Makoto.

“He just fell,” Makoto replied. “You know how kids are. He didn’t get cut; it was just a scrape.”

Kyoko nodded. “That’s a relief.” She stood up and walked back to their cabin without another word.

Once Kyoko was out of earshot, Akane asked Makoto, “What’s up with her?”

“What do you mean?”

“She barely talked to me before you showed up. She’s also super concerned about a small injury? ”

“Kyoko has always been that way. I mean the overprotectiveness I think came from being a mother. She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

“You’d think someone would lighten up when they’re on vacation. Maybe she should eat more. That always makes me feel better!” She flashed a smile at Makoto.

“I’m hoping to spend some alone time with her tonight. Maybe that’ll help.”

Akane shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know how that would help, but whatever works.”

* * *

Hajime had now made it his daily routine to check the progress on Kazuki’s birthday party. Today’s stop was to check on Teruteru, and the creation of the party’s menu. Hajime knocked on the kitchen door before letting himself in. Teruteru jumped a foot off the ground from the knock.

Hajime watched his friend carefully after he was caught off guard. He figured there was no reason for Teruteru to be so surprised unless he was up to something suspicious. He walked over to Teruteru to see he was cooking something elegant, which wasn’t that big of a surprise. 

“Are you testing out a recipe?” Hajime asked. He wouldn’t question Teruteru on his suspicious activity just yet.  

“Not tonight,” Teruteru replied. “I received a special order from Naegi earlier today.” Hajime noticed Teruteru fiddling with a small jar. “Tonight he wants to treat his wife to a romantic night alone, and asked me to cook up something special for them. He’s such a romantic, that Naegi. I think I may be jealous of his wife.”

Hajime pointed to the jar. “So does whatever is in there help make the meal special?”

“What? No, of course not!” Teruteru exclaimed in a panic. “This is just, erm, an herb.”

Hajime looked at the cook in disbelief. Teruteru could feel Hajime’s one red eye pierce through him. Hajime held his hand out to Teruteru, and gestured for him to give him the jar. 

“I swear it’s only a simple herb!” Teruteru cried. “You think dirty, Hinata!”

“If it was a simple herb, you shouldn’t be so secretive about it. I’d like to look at it. Or should I pry it from you by force?”

Teruteru’s knees trembled. “You’re so dominant, Hinata! You’re making me all hot and bothered!” He fanned himself to try and buy time. Hajime continued to hold his hand out. Teruteru reluctantly gave the jar over. “I guess I have no choice. You just have that effect on me.”

Hajime examined the jar’s contents carefully. He looked at the label and frowned. He should have figured Teruteru would do something like this, but at the same time he had hoped the cook had grown up after a few years. Hajime realized now this wasn’t the case.

“Didn’t we agree no more aphrodisiacs?” Hajime groaned. “I heard what happened during your days at Hope’s Peak. Then once we settled on the island, there was the incident with Peko-”

“Everyone knew she needed that push to get with Kuzuryuu!” Teruteru shouted. “I still say if it weren’t for me, Natsumi wouldn’t exist!”

Hajime pinched the bridge of his nose. “We all know you are not the reason Natsumi exists. I distinctly remember Fuyuhiko punching you in the face and telling you not to mess with him and Pekoyama's relationship. Either way, the whole island put it to a vote.” Hajime pocketed the small jar. “No more aphrodisiacs.”

Teruteru babbled for a minute before being able to speak an actual sentence. “Oh come on, you’ve seen how Naegi’s wife has been!” he shouted. “She’s been acting like someone put a stick up her bum, and not the fun kind of stick!”

“She’s not an idiot. One bite and she’ll know you added something to the food.”

“She’ll come running to my kitchen begging for more after the first night of sex on the beach.”

Hajime shook his head. “You’re disgusting. I’m going through your cabinets to make sure you’re not hiding anything else.” 

“Ya serious?” Teruteru shouted. His voice began to crack. 

“Yes, I am.” Hajime walked over to Teruteru’s spice and herb rack and started analyzing each container. “I know she’s hesitant about being here, and pulling a stunt like putting an aphrodisiac in her food is plenty reason for her to never trust us.”

“At least agree with me that she needs to get laid! Come on, Hinata!”

Hajime didn’t answer, and continued to rummage through the cabinets. He took out one more container and stashed it away in his pocket. He looked over at Teruteru with a look of disappointment. 

“No more,” was the last thing Hajime said before leaving Teruteru to his cooking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I want you all to know that I am definitely participating in Naegiri week. However, I'm not writing for it. Instead, I've been drawing all 7 prompts. I encourage you guys to check out my tumblr, CapnDirosso, to see my Naegiri week drawings as the week goes by. Feel free to follow me on there as well.
> 
> I'm also gonna plug my Twitter of the same name, CapnDirosso. I've been using it to give updates on how I'm working on my writing, as well as sneak peaks of my drawings. I do follow back on Twitter, just so you know. 
> 
> My Tumblr and Twitter are the best places to contact me, especially since Ao3 doesn't have a messaging system. So if you're ever curious about something (or just wanna hear me talk about my fankids, which I LOVE talking about), hit me up on these two platforms. 
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys are still enjoying this!


	5. Flower Children

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to write this chapter since I started working on this fic...which explains how I managed to get this one out so quick. And remember I'm doing Naegiri week on my tumblr. If I can write small drabbles for the drawings, perhaps then they'll show up on here.

Lavender locks twirled between leather-covered fingers while Kyoko stared at the cup of coffee placed in front of her. She hesitated to drink the beverage in front of her, but not due to fear of poisoning. She was uncertain about something else that had crossed her mind a few times even before she stepped foot on the boat to the island. With each passing day, her suspicions were possibly confirmed. She hated feeling like this after having such a nice evening with Makoto. The night wasn’t perfect, but definitely needed. 

Kyoko closed her eyes and tried to think about the previous evening. A small smile appeared on her face while she thought about the surprise candlelit dinner by the poolside. She remembered how delectable the food was, and how relieved she was that it wasn’t tampered with in any way. A slight chuckle escaped her throat when she thought about after the dinner, she kissed Makoto on the cheek. Even though they were married, Makoto still blushed and stuttered like a teenager in love whenever she’d give him the slightest affection. The kiss surprised him so much that he slipped on a small puddle of water, and landed right into the pool. 

After their quick trip back to their cabin so Makoto could dry off, change clothes, and make sure Kazuki was sleeping, the couple made their way to the beach for a walk. The sound of the crashing waves, and the feeling of Makoto’s hand in her own was soothing to Kyoko. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been at peace. At that moment in time, she was happy to be on the island. 

The reminiscing Kyoko suddenly frowned when she remembered what happened later in the evening. The couple sat next to each other near the shoreline, Kyoko’s head against Makoto’s. Kyoko remembered the knot in her stomach when she decided that since she and Makoto were alone, that she could talk to him about her suspicion, the same one she currently had. 

“Makoto,” Kyoko remembered saying, “I should tell you something.”

“What is it?”

She took a deep breath. “I could be wrong, but...I think I’m-”

Kyoko scowled when she remembered being interrupted by the booming voice of Gundam Tanaka. The man had managed to find the couple and announce that two of his hamsters, or dark devas of destruction, had “bonded in ritual,” and would soon be giving birth to more hamsters. He then claimed that he would decide on which of the offspring would make a perfect “guardian” to fend off the angels of virtue, and would be delivered to him once “guardian” had accepted their fate. Of course refusing the gift was difficult, especially after Gundam told them refusing the gift would cause a curse upon their house for one hundred years. Kyoko didn’t believe in such things, but Makoto did. In order to keep Makoto happy, she didn’t argue with the animal breeder. 

“Now what was it you wanted to tell me?” Makoto asked after Gundam had left. 

“...It’s nothing.”

Kyoko’s trance was cut off by Teruteru, who was standing too close to her. 

“You look like you’re having a good daydream,” the cook sang. “Perhaps you had the romantic night you needed?” Kyoko didn’t respond. “No? Maybe the night needed an extra push to it? I talked to Hinata earlier that day and he-”

“I would like to be left alone,” Kyoko interrupted. She stood up and left the dining hall without a word. 

Kyoko was stuck on an island with nobody to talk to about her trouble. She didn’t want to bother Makoto, despite almost talking to him the previous night. She  would have to need some sort of confirmation before going to her husband about the issue. Kyoko told herself that no matter what would happen, she could get through it. She was a survivor of two killing games, and the Tragedy. She had an iron will, and nothing could take her down so easily.

As if her prayers had been answered, she saw Mikan Tsumiki running frantically past her. The nurse apologized to Kyoko for being rude and running by. Kyoko remembered what Makoto had told her two days ago. Mikan was the one who revived her from being comatose all those years ago. What great luck that the person Kyoko felt was the most trustworthy on the island (though that wasn’t saying much), had passed by. She needed an answer to her anxieties, and at the time, Mikan was the only one who could help her. Even though doubt did cross Kyoko’s mind, she had to set that aside. 

“Tsumiki, hold on one moment,” Kyoko called out. 

Mikan stopped in her tracks and turned to face Kyoko. “Ah! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you wanted to talk to me!”

Kyoko hesitated. “Spur of the moment.” She took a deep breath. “Tsumiki, I am in need of your assistance. It’s rather important, so I’d like to get this done now.”

“Oh, of course! Whatever I can do to help, I’ll do my best!”

* * *

Kazuichi Souda was tinkering with a small device in the dining room a few hours after Kyoko had left. He didn’t focus on anything else, not even the prying eyes of Ryota Miratrai and the Imposter, who once again was dressed as Byakuya Togami. 

“Just a few more screws…” Kazuichi mumbled to himself, “and you’ll be ready to go!”

“What exactly is that you’re making?” the Imposter asked. 

Kazuichi glanced up, and flashed his sharp, shark-like teeth. “It’s a present for the upcoming birthday boy!” 

“A mechanical dog?” Ryota asked. 

“Hell yeah, a mechanical dog! I took what I learned about making those mini-Nidai robots, and decided to try making a dog!” He continued to tinker with the toy. “I know that gerbil-fucker is gonna give the kid a live animal, but if you ask me, my gift will be better. You don’t have to worry about feeding him, or cleaning up after him. Best part is, he’ll never die!” 

He scooted his chair away from the table. He held a remote in his hand, and pressed a button. The mechanical dog barked, and began to slowly walk on its own. Kazuichi’s eyes lit up in excitement as he saw his creation come to life. 

“He’s beautiful!” Kazuichi cried.

“That is rather impressive,” the Imposter noted. 

Kazuichi began to wave his arms in excitement. “Hey, Sonia!” he called out to the princess who sat on the other side of the dining room. “Sonia! Look at what I made!” 

Sonia turned her head and saw Kazuichi jumping up and down while a small robot dog walked across the table, and then sat down. 

“Looks nice, Souda,” she said.

“He’s for Naegi’s son!” he exclaimed. “You like what I made, right? Wouldn’t I make a great father?” 

A groan could be heard from the Imposter and Ryota. Sonia just smiled, and turned her head back to her meal. 

Kazuichi threw Ryota into a headlock. “She smiled at me!” he squealed. “Pretty soon she’ll be confessing her love to me! It’s only a matter of time!”

“A man can only dream,” the Imposter muttered. 

“So what are you guys gonna give the little guy?” Kazuichi asked while he watched the robotic dog move its head side-to-side.

“I don’t know,” Ryota mumbled. 

“You could always draw him something,” Kazuichi replied. “I mean, I know you animate and all but you gotta draw things to animate.”

“I suppose you’re right.” The nervous animator looked down at his fingers, and picked at his nails. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Naegi. If I draw something, I hope his son will like it.”

“He’s a kid. Kids like everything!” Kazuichi paused. “I guess maybe except underwear as a gift.”

A fourth person soon joined the group of boys. Hajime analyzed the walking robotic dog carefully. Kazuichi noticed Hajime, and grinned with pride. The Imposter smiled at Hajime as well, and Ryota’s smile was meek. 

“‘Sup, Hajime, my good buddy!” Kazuichi exclaimed. “What do you think of my robot dog? He’s gonna be the new best friend of Naegi’s boy!”

Hajime chuckled. “It looks well done,” he replied. “Listen, we’re having some technical difficulties with the speaker system in the music club.”

“I’m kinda busy here. Can’t you just do it yourself?”

Hajime sighed. “I’m the one in charge of this whole party. I’m far more busy than you, who seems to be only playing with a toy dog.”

“He’s more than a toy! He’s the next generation of pets!”

“Go fix the speakers,” Hajime demanded. “I’ve got other things to do than argue with you.”

* * *

 

Originally, Makoto was spending quality time with Kazuki. The father and son sat down in a flower garden that Sonia, Hiyoko, and Mahiru had worked hard to create. Makoto took the time to try and teach Kazuki how to create flower crowns. He explained to his son that flower wreaths were usually made to give to somebody. Kazuki decided he would try and make a flower crown for his mother. Makoto chuckled and helped Kazuki pick out the best flowers for Kyoko to wear on her head.

The plan changed when a loud Natsumi ran over towards the two and sat down next to Kazuki. Fuyuhiko and Peko followed after her. Fuyuhiko explained that Natsumi wouldn’t stop talking about how she wanted to play with Kazuki again. Natsumi immediately after started begging to stay with Kazuki and Makoto. Makoto smiled and said he would love that she and Kazuki play together.

Now in the flower garden sat Makoto, Kazuki, and Natsumi. Fuyuhiko and Peko had left to continue helping Hajime prepare for the party, which now was the next day. Instead of teaching one child how to make flower crowns, he now tried to teach two. Kazuki was more focused than Natsumi was, though Makoto didn’t mind. 

“Mister Naegi!” Natsumi whined. “My flowers keep falling apart!” 

Makoto reached over to try and help the little girl. “Here, Natsumi, why not try wrapping your flowers like this?” He slowly showed his technique so Natsumi could understand. Makoto thought to himself that being the headmaster of Hope’s Peak helped him become somewhat of a teacher. 

“Okay I think I get it now,” she said after fumbling with the flowers again. 

Kazuki looked over at Natsumi curiously. “I’m making mine for my mom,” he told her. 

“Mine is for my mom too,” Natsumi replied. 

Makoto looked at Natsumi’s crown, confused. “Natsumi, that looks a little small for your mom to wear.”

“Why not? It would fit my head, so it should fit her’s.” She looked at the barely-finished wreath. “I’ll just make this for me.”

“You can’t do that!” Kazuki claimed. “You gotta make flower crowns for somebody else! Daddy said so!”

Natsumi huffed. “Fine. I’ll make this for you, Kazuki.” 

Kazuki smiled wide at Natsumi’s statement. “Thank you, Natsumi! I’ll make one for you once I’m done with Mommy’s flower crown.” 

Makoto watched the two kids play together in awe. He leaned back and only would intervene whenever one of the two kids would have trouble with their flower crowns. Makoto felt the only way this moment could be any better, was if Kyoko were next to him. When he woke up, she was nowhere in sight, and didn’t leave a note. He hadn’t seen her all day. Makoto wondered if it had to do with the thing she wanted to tell him that evening. He hoped she was doing fine. He never liked seeing Kyoko upset.

Humming vibrations from Makoto’s cell phone went off in the pocket of his shorts. He grabbed the phone immediately and saw the call was coming from his sister, Komaru. Makoto answered the phone with glee in his voice. There was never a day he didn’t like talking to his little sister. 

“Hey, Komaru! How are you doing?” he answered.

“Makoto, you jerk!” Komaru hollered from the other side of the line. “What the heck were you thinking? You left to go on an island vacation when school is still in session?”

Makoto laughed nervously after he realized he never actually told everyone why he was leaving the school for the week. “I mean, it’s Kazuki’s birthday and all-”

“So you decide to take him and Kyoko to the island and not invite your sister or any of your friends?” A sound that almost sounded like a sob came from Komaru’s throat. “I’m hurt, Makoto! Not only that, but why on Earth did you put Togami in charge of the school while you were away?”

Makoto gulped. “I wasn’t really thinking, Komaru-”

“Obviously not! I swear with him in charge, we’re gonna have another Tragedy!”

“...I meant with inviting you guys to come along with us. “

“Also, there’s no way I’m not gonna see my nephew on his birthday! I’m gonna get over to that island if it’s the last thing I do!”

“His birthday is tomorrow, Komaru.”

“If it is the last thing I do,” she repeated. 

Makoto let out a sigh. “Alright, if you can find a way to get here as fast as you can, I’m sure Kazuki would love to see you.” He looked over at the two children, who decided that wrestling in the flowers would be more fun than flower crowns. Natsumi was winning. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“See you tomorrow, big brother! Oh, and don’t tell Kazuki I’ll be there. I want to surprise him!” Komaru hung up without letting Makoto respond. 

“Kazuki, why does this part of your hair stick up?” Makoto heard Natsumi ask before looking over to see her tugging on Kazuki’s hair.

“Ow!” Kazuki cried. “Natumi stop that!”

Makoto lunged towards the kids to pry them apart. “Let’s not roughhouse anymore, okay? What happened to making flower crowns?”

Natsumi crossed her arms and sat down in the flowers. “Mine keeps breaking.”

“You gotta be gentle with them!” Kazuki claimed. “Remember, that’s what Daddy said!”

Makoto sighed, but smiled. “I’ll show you again, Natsumi.”

* * *

An eerie silence loomed over the island’s medical ward. Despite looking completely blank, Kyoko’s heart pounded to the point where she was sure it would rip out of her chest. Her palms were sweating, despite her gloves being designed to prevent moisture. She was having the hardest time hiding just how she felt. She had to lower her head slightly so her bangs could cover her eyes. Perhaps all her years with Makoto made her soft.

Mikan stood on the furthest side of the room, away from Kyoko. Her knees trembled slightly while she tried to figure out just what to tell the detective. Kyoko had been quiet after her test results came in. She was normally quiet to begin with, but she would say a sentence or two every so often. Now, there was nothing. 

“E-Excuse me,” Mikan stuttered. Kyoko shot a glance at her, and immediately Mikan shrieked. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to upset you! It’s just that I wanted to congratulate you! This must be really exciting!”

Kyoko bit her lip ever so slightly. “Yes, it is,” she lied. The news was more unexpected than exciting at the moment. She wouldn’t say that to Mikan. Kyoko would keep her doubts to herself. She stood up and kept her gaze away from the nurse. “Thank you for your assistance, Tsumiki.”

Kyoko wandered around the island until she found a secure place where nobody would look for her. In the security of the trees around her, Kyoko slipped to the ground, and let out a loud sigh. She combed her hands through almost every inch of her long hair, then rested on her face. She slowed her breath to calm herself down. She needed to keep her composure if she were to talk to Makoto next, which she wanted to do right away.

Kyoko’s suspicions were finally confirmed; she was pregnant. As much as the news was shocking to her, there was a part that was excited. She loved raising Kazuki with Makoto for the past five years. Her concerns came from how she and Makoto discussed having another child previously, but decided both were busy with their careers, and that they should wait another year. Both of them being busy was what kept Kyoko from being ecstatic.  

Kyoko took one more deep breath before getting back up on her feet. She needed to find Makoto, push him aside, and tell him the news. She had no reason to hesitate like she did the previous night. Kyoko figured Makoto would be happy with the news. He’d worry about being busy, but he always found positivity out of the worst situations. 

She paid no attention to her surroundings when she marched back to the cabins. She had no clue what time it was; all she knew was Makoto and Kazuki were sleeping when she left. Perhaps one hour had passed, or even three or five. When she opened the door to her cabin, it was empty. 

The next place she figured to find him would be in the dining hall, if the time was still early morning. Along the way there, she had almost literally bumped into Ryota. The minute Kyoko and Ryota’s eyes locked onto one another’s, Ryota began to tremble. He was ready to apologize to Kyoko for getting in her way, but before he could speak, Kyoko interrupted him.

“Is Makoto in the dining hall?” she asked.

Ryota shook his head. “No, I didn’t see him. He’s not with you?” He didn’t even manage to greet Kyoko before she started questioning him.

“Obviously not. Do you know where he might be?”

“No clue...maybe Kama-I mean Hinata, might know?” Even after years of friendship, Ryota still misnamed Hajime. “I think he went to the music building.” He pointed off into the horizon. “It’s that way.”

Kyoko nodded and walked away without another word. Perhaps she could find Makoto along the way to Hajime. She disliked going on a wild goose chase to find her husband, but at that moment in time, she would do whatever it took to talk to him alone. 

Thankfully, Kyoko didn’t have to find Hajime first. As if motherly instincts kicked in, she heard Kazuki’s voice in the distance. She knew wherever Kazuki was, Makoto was with him. She hurried off in the direction her son’s voice was.

A smile appeared on Kyoko’s face when she saw Kazuki surrounded by flowers. She saw Natsumi next to him, and was happy to see she wasn’t being rough with him. In fact, both were laughing and smiling with one another. Just as she predicted, Makoto was with them. His back was turned to Kyoko, and he looked focused on the kids. Kazuki looked up briefly, and immediately saw his mother. His face lit up as if it were Christmas morning. He cried out for his mother in joy before running over to hug her. 

“I made you a flower crown!” Kazuki cheered to his mother. “Can I put it on you?”

Kyoko knelt down and lowered her head. “Yes you can, Kazuki.” 

Kazuki giggled as he slipped the crown over his mother’s head. It wasn’t a perfect fit; Kazuki made it a little small to fit comfortably. Kyoko lifted her head and adjusted the flower crown so it wouldn’t fall off. When she looked up, Makoto now stood next to her, with Natsumi next to him.

“You look beautiful,” Makoto said, a blush painted over his cheeks. 

If it weren’t for the feeling of her stomach tying itself in knots, Kyoko almost forgot the very reason she wanted to find Makoto. He sometimes had that effect on her, where she would forget her worries. As much as she would have wished to stay in this fantasy, reality was playing soccer with her stomach. 

“Makoto, can I talk to you alone?” she asked, after regaining her composure.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you as well,” Makoto replied. He looked down at the Kazuki and Natsumi and smiled. “Can you two play nice while I talk to Kyoko?” Both children nodded. 

The couple walked away from the kids so Kazuki and Natsumi couldn’t hear their conversation. However, they were close enough to keep an eye on them. Kyoko bit at the inside of her lip. She was relieved to find Makoto easily, and could get the conversation over. All she really needed to say was two simple words, “I’m pregnant.” The hard part would be over after that.

“Okay, I hope you don’t mind if I go first,” Makoto said. Kyoko reluctantly allowed Makoto to speak before her.

“Komaru...might be coming to the island tomorrow. Actually she said she was for sure going to be here.”

Kyoko frowned. “How did this come up?”

“She got upset that I didn’t invite her to come with us.”

“You didn’t tell her where we were going?”

“It kind of slipped my mind.”

Kyoko sighed. “Well there’s no stopping your sister now.”

Makoto began to chuckle. “That’s Komaru for you. So what was it you wanted to tell me? Does it have to do with what you wanted to say last night?”

Kyoko nodded. “Yes it does. I was unsure about telling you last night, because I wasn’t sure. Now, I know for certain.”

“Well, what is it?”

Kyoko felt herself hesitating with every second that passed by. She kept telling herself in her head that this conversation should have been easy. It was easy when she was pregnant with Kazuki. Then again, they had been planning for Kazuki for months prior. This time, the couple didn’t get the luxury. She was even sure Makoto would be happy, that she had no idea what was stopping her. She sighed once more and refused to let herself stall any longer.

“Makoto, I’m-”

“Natsumi, get off!” Kazuki cried out. 

Both Makoto and Kyoko snapped their heads to the direction of the kids. Natsumi was on top of Kazuki yet again, tugging at his hair.

“Then tell me how you get your hair to stick up like that!” Natsumi demanded. “I want my hair to do that!”

Makoto looked at Kyoko and smiled weakly. “I guess you’ll have to tell me another time.” He ran over to once again break the kids up.   
  
Kyoko placed her hands on her face and scrunched her skin. She should have figured something would have happened to keep her from telling him. She would have to try again later, perhaps once Kazuki was sleeping. She disliked keeping the news from her husband. If Kyoko wasn’t so picky about telling him when they were alone, her mission would be easier. Defeated for only a brief moment, Kyoko retreated to the cabin to finish up her paperwork for the week. She figured working was the only way to get her mind off her current frustrations. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever draws Makoto falling into a pool after being kissed by Kyoko will receive my eternal love.
> 
> So some people had caught on to what I was doing regarding Kyoko a few chapters ago. I tried to keep my mouth shut. I also was asked by a few people "Where is *insert name here*" so I decided I'd also use this chapter to fill in some gaps. Hope you enjoy!


	6. This is Some Party

A “Do Not Disturb” Sign was hung on the door to the bath house entrance. If one were to ignore the sign, and walk in, they would hear grumbles of disgust and discomfort coming from the voice of a now five-year-old boy. If that same person were to look inside the bath house, they’d see boy hunched over while his mother scrubbed each grain of sand out of his shaggy brown hair. 

Both mother and son weren’t too thrilled about being there for reasons of their own. Kazuki didn’t like that he still had to be cleaned up by his mother; he was sure he was now old enough to bathe by himself. Kyoko wasn’t happy that her son allowed Natsumi to bury him in the sand that morning, and managed to get sand everywhere on him. She wanted him to look tidy for his birthday party, and would make sure he was. 

Kyoko was already frustrated that she still was unable to share the news with Makoto that she was pregnant. The previous night, Makoto was invited to a night with the males on the island. Now with her taking care of Kazuki’s mess, she couldn’t do so in the morning. By the time Kazuki was clean and dressed, his party would start. She’d have to find a way to pull Makoto away from the party in order to tell him. 

Kyoko looked down at Kazuki, who, despite protesting how much he wanted to bathe on his own, sat still. Kyoko knew she would eventually tell her son he’d be getting a little sibling soon. Kazuki would more than likely be excited. However when he gets excited, he tells everyone he locks eye contact with. Kyoko knew once Kazuki would spot Makoto, he would tell him. As selfish as it was to Kyoko, she wanted to be the one to tell Makoto. 

“Am I clean yet?” Kazuki whined, which snapped Kyoko out of her trance. Kazuki’s hair was completely covered by lathered shampoo, that nobody would be able to guess what color it was. 

“Go rinse off,” Kyoko told him. “Then come back and I’ll see if all the sand is gone.”

Without another word, Kazuki went over to the shallow bath, and submerged himself briefly. A small smile crossed Kyoko’s face while she kept a close eye on her son. She did enjoy raising him. Some days were tougher than others, but that was mainly when he was a baby. Her mind wandered back to the first time Kyoko laid eyes on her newborn son. Kazuki was tiny and fragile. She remembered when she held her son for the first time, and swore her heart had skipped a beat when she touched his skin. It was that moment Kyoko made a vow to always be by Kazuki’s side. Not once would she consider abandoning him.  When she made that vow, Kazuki opened his eyes, revealing deep purple irises, just like her’s. She was sure time had stopped at that moment if Makoto wasn’t next to her sobbing.

Kyoko wholeheartedly knew she missed the days where Kazuki was a baby. She even missed the nights where he’d wake up with cries that shook the house. Some may have found her crazy for missing those sleepless nights, but getting up to soothe her crying son put a smile on her face. After all, she made a vow to be there for him. 

Despite the previous day’s anxieties about being pregnant, slowly, Kyoko found herself excited. She still worried about time constraints, such as not being readily available for her new child, but Kyoko knew that somehow things would work out in the end. They always seemed to work out that way. 

“Is all the sand gone?” Kazuki asked after he came back from rinsing off. The boy sat down in front of Kyoko and lowered his head while Kyoko inspected every lock of hair.

“I believe so. It’s hard going through your hair. I thought your father was going to take you to get a haircut,” Kyoko muttered.

“He said something came up at work,” Kazuki replied. 

Kyoko shook her head. “Well I guess I’ll be shaving your head bald,” she joked.

Kazuki grabbed his own hair and jerked away from his mother. “No! Don’t shave my head, Mommy!”

Kyoko covered her mouth with her hands and laughed. “Alright, but you’re still getting a haircut when we get home.” Kyoko bit the inside of her bottom lip. “Kazuki, would you like to hear a secret?”

Kazuki smiled brightly. “Yeah! What is it?”

Yes, Kyoko wanted to tell Makoto first, but Makoto wasn’t around. She needed to get some of her inner thoughts out. 

“...You’re going to be getting a baby brother or sister.”

“Like how some of the kids in my preschool have brothers and sisters? I’ll be like them?”

Kyoko nodded. “In a way, yes.”

“Will I be getting one today? It is my birthday, you know.”

“No, this will take time.”

“How long?”

“...About nine months.”

“That’s forever! I can’t wait that long!”

“You have to,” Kyoko replied. “This takes time. Remember though, you can’t tell anybody. It’s a secret to only you and me.”

“What about Daddy?”

“Don’t tell him.” Before Kazuki could ask why, Kyoko answered him with “I’m going to tell him myself.”

“Oh, okay! Wow, I’m gonna have a little brother or sister...I’m excited!”

“You’re going to be a good big brother, right?”

Kazuki nodded his head rapidly. “I’ll be the best big brother!”

* * *

Nagito Komaeda took the liberty of showing Makoto the party grounds. He lead Makoto over to the music club. He dramatically opened the door to reveal the inside of the building. In order to enter the building, one would pass by an art solely created from balloons. Tables and chairs were set up in the middle of the floor, and were close by so every person could talk to whoever they wanted without problem. On the other side of the room were tables linked together, possibly for where the food would be. What brought out the most attention was the stage. Above the stage was a banner wishing Kazuki a happy birthday, followed by more balloons. Musical equipment sat in the back of the stage. A DJ booth was set to the side. The front of the stage had a television and microphone. 

“What do you think?” Nagito asked his idol. 

“This looks amazing,” Makoto replied. “I’m sure this party will be great!”

Makoto wandered around the building to check out everything in detail. He ran around excitedly as if he were five-years old himself. He jumped onto the stage and eyed the DJ table and microphone. He then carefully eyed the instruments in the back of the stage. 

“Is Mioda going to perform?” Makoto asked. “What’s with the DJ table and television?”

“Ah, you see we came to a conclusion that our friend Mioda’s music isn’t right for an innocent little ray of hope like your son. Hajime had the great idea of doing karaoke on stage, and if everyone is tired of singing, we can play music with the DJ table.” Nagito sighed. “Though Hajime had to compromise with Mioda. She’ll play one song, and that’s it.” He walked over to Makoto and dug out a few sets of earplugs to give to him. “Here, this will help reduce the noise for when she’s performing.”

Makoto hesitantly took the earplugs. “Thanks, Komaeda.”

“I hope you come up to sing,” Nagito beamed. “I will. I plan to sing with Hajime.”

“Well, if you guys have a song I’d want to sing-”

Nagito pointed to the DJ table. “We composed a list of songs. Go ahead and look!”

Makoto nodded and went over to the table. He looked through the computer on the table that listed each song available to them. He stopped when his eyes caught a couple songs from a certain pop idol group. The group that was lead by his late friend and first love, Sayaka Maizono. 

_ “I haven’t forgotten that today is your birthday as well, Maizono,”  _ Makoto thought while his eyes lingered on the song list.  _ “I wish you and the others could be here to celebrate. I’m sure you’d love Kazuki. I bet the others would too.” _ A smile curved on Makoto’s lips.  _ “I always thought it was funny he was born the same day as you...as if it were fate or something like that.” _

His trance was broken when the doors to the club swung wide open once again, and Nagito gleefully shouting Hajime’s name. Makoto looked over to see Hajime approaching the stage with a look of confusion on his face. 

“Naegi,” Hajime sighed, “A jet plane landed on the island not that long ago. I thought it was just you, your wife, and son visiting the island?”

Makoto laughed nervously. “I forgot to tell you. My sister, Komaru called me and said she’d be visiting the island for Kazuki’s birthday.”

“Did she tell you she was bringing others?”

Makoto’s eyes widened. “No? How many people are with her?”

Five people made their way into the building. Komaru attempted to be the first one in, but was apprehended by Byakuya Togami. Toko Fukawa rushed behind him. Then Komaru entered the building, followed by Aoi Asahina and Yasuhiro Hagakure.

“...She didn’t say she was bringing everyone,” Makoto muttered to himself in shock.

“I told you I’d make it, big brother!” Komaru exclaimed. She ran up the stage and threw Makoto into a hug. “Look, I brought the rest of your class here!”

“It’s nice to see everyone,” Makoto replied while hugging his sister back. “What about the school?”

Komaru smiled sweetly. “We cancelled class. Figured today is like a holiday, you know?”

Makoto looked over at Byakuya. “You agreed to it?” Makoto asked the substitute headmaster.

“They wouldn’t shut up until I agreed to it,” Byakuya replied. “I can only take their obnoxious whining for so long.”

“Then we convinced Togami to ride his jet!” Komaru continued. “That’s how we got here so fast!” Komaru jumped off the stage and linked arms with Toko and Hina. “Come on, let’s go explore the island! I wanna take pictures of us by the beach before the party starts!” 

The boys watched the girls as Komaru and Hina dragged Toko out of the building. After they were gone, Makoto walked off the stage to properly greet his friends.

“I’m glad you guys are here,” Makoto said to Byakuya and Hiro. “I’m sorry I didn’t think about inviting you all.”

“You probably were thinking of the school,” Byakuya grumbled. “Any headmaster would do so.”

“How is Hope’s Peak doing anyway?”

Hiro spoke up in a panic. “Dude, he-”

“Things ran just fine,” Byakuya interrupted. “The school is not on fire, and students are living every day lives.”

Makoto smiled softly. “That’s good to know.”

“I’m sure the students will rejoice at seeing you again,” Hiro noted. “But enough business talk. Today’s a day for partying! I managed to bring some booze in my luggage.” Hiro threw his arms around Makoto and Byakuya. “Tonight, we drink like men! Whoa, is that a stage for karaoke? These guys know how to party!”

On the other side of the building, Nagito and Hajime had continued finishing up any last-minute decorating for the party. Nagito couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the Makoto’s conversation. He smiled sweetly at their excitement.

“This will be a fun day,” Nagito said to Hajime.

* * *

Kazuki knew he would be getting a birthday party today, and he grew impatient with each hour there was not a party. Kyoko had the pleasure of spending the morning with her restless son. As much as she wasn’t fond of his impatience, she did enjoy the time spent with him. Thankfully, she and Kazuki didn’t have to wait long for the party to start. She now was in their room, watching the young boy try to button his polo shirt. 

“Do I really gotta wear this, Mommy?” Kazuki whined. “These buttons are really hard to get on!”

Kyoko, who was in the process of picking an outfit for herself, walked over and knelt down in front of Kazuki to help adjust his buttons. “They’ll be easier once you wear this shirt a bit more,” she stated. “Besides, you’ll want to look nice for your party.” 

“Do I have to wear pants?” he asked. “Can I wear my shorts?”

Kyoko paused before answering. “Yes.” 

“Mommy, when will I know if my sibling will be a brother or sister?”

Kyoko lingered on the last button of Kazuki’s shirt when he asked that question. She turned her body towards the door to make sure nobody, mainly Makoto, had come in when Kazuki spoke. When she knew for sure nobody was there, she turned her attention back to Kazuki.

“That won’t be for a while either.”

“Why do I have to wait?” he whined.

“Kazuki, I don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl yet. When I find out, I’ll tell you.”

“I hope it’s a girl,” Kazuki stated. “Natsumi is a girl and she’s fun.”

Kyoko couldn’t help but chuckle at her son’s claim. “We’ll see when the time comes.” She pulled Kazuki into her arms and kissed the top of his head. “Remember our promise about not telling anyone?”

Kazuki nodded. “My lips are closed!”

After Kyoko finished changing her outfit for the party, she exited the room with Kazuki. He became even more antsy with each step. He tugged on his mother’s hand begging her to hurry up. He now knew the party would start soon, and he didn’t want to miss it for the world. When the mother and son duo passed the beach, Kazuki stopped in his tracks at the sight of Komaru taking photos on her cell phone with Hina and Toko. Kazuki let go of Kyoko’s hand and made a mad dash towards the beach. 

“Aunt Komaru!” Kazuki squealed while he ran down the beach. “Aunt Komaru, Aunt Komaru!” The minute Komaru was in arm’s reach, the boy threw his arms around her. “I didn’t know you’d be here!” 

“Surprise, birthday boy!” Komaru giggled. She held her nephew tight and pulled him up from the sand. 

Kazuki gasped when he caught sight of the other two girls. “Aunt Hina! Aunt Toko!”

“A-Aunt Toko?” Toko stuttered.    


Komaru smiled at her friend. “Yeah! I asked Kazuki to call you that. After all, we’re all one big family, Toko!”

Toko didn’t utter another word. Instead, she blushed and turned her head away. 

“Hey, Aunt Komaru,” Kazuki said to get his aunt’s attention again. “I know a secret!”

All eyes were now on Kazuki. An audible gasp could be heard from Hina. Kyoko felt her heart stop for a second, though by looking at her face, nobody could tell she was shocked. 

“Are you going to tell us?” Hina asked, excitedly. “We can keep secrets!” 

Kazuki shook his head. “Nope! I promised Mommy I wouldn’t tell anyone!”

Now all eyes were on Kyoko. She coughed and made her way towards the girls and Kazuki. She took her son out of Komaru’s arms. 

“Kyoko! What are you hiding?” Hina asked. 

“Yeah, you heard me earlier,” Komaru added. “We’re family. Family shouldn’t keep secrets!”

“Spit it out!” Toko hollered. 

Kyoko hesitated. “It’s a secret among detectives,” she lied. 

“And how Kazuki is old enough to know?” Hina asked, unconvinced.

“I’m training him, remember?” She looked at her son, and then back at the girls. “The party is starting soon, and we’d rather not be late.”

“Are you coming, Aunt Komaru?” Kazuki asked.

Komaru ruffled her nephew’s hair. “Of course I am! We’ll all be there!” 

“See you there!” Kazuki called out while his mother carried him away. 

Once Kyoko was out of earshot, Hina spoke up. “So what do you think that secret was? Can we  really believe it’s a detective secret?”

“I-I doubt it,” Toko replied. “I bet the kid caught his parents going at it.”

“Aw come on, Toko!” Komaru whined. “I don’t wanna visualize that!”

* * *

With the comfort of well-manufactured earplugs, Kazuki listened to Ibuki’s song to him in comfort. He smiled the entire time, and clapped his hands after she had finished. The partygoers who were unfortunate to not have earplugs had to wait to applaud, as they were busy covering their ears to the best of their abilities. Ibuki either didn’t notice or care. She put her guitar back on its stand, and made her way over toward the DJ table.

“Okay, now it’s karaoke time!” Ibuki exclaimed. “Since Ibuki is already up here, she’ll sing the first song!”

Someone in the crowd groaned. 

“Hajime said nothing about singing Ibuki’s songs at karaoke!” she claimed before pressing the button to start the song. “So Ibuki will sing a modified version of one of her songs in celebration of little Kazuki’s birthday!” She grabbed the microphone from the stand. “The song is now called,  _ ‘Kyoko Squeezed out the Baby and Knows Who the Father Is!’ _ ”

Makoto blushed and chuckled slightly. He turned to look at his wife’s possible expression. She had her head facing away from him, and the stage. 

While Ibuki loudly sang her modified song, the couple was greeted by the usually nervous Mikan Tsumiki. Her voice could barely be heard past the music and vibrations. Thankfully her high-pitched squeaks were heard by Makoto. He looked up at the nurse and smiled sweetly. 

“Hello! I just wanted to congratulate you,” Mikan said while she twiddled her thumbs.

Makoto looked at her dumbfoundedly. “Thank you, Tsumiki! I don’t know what there’s to congratulate about, but it must be good!”

Mikan gasped. “Oh! Did your wife not tell you?”

“No?” Makoto turned around and lightly poked Kyoko’s shoulder. “Kyoko, Tsumiki says you haven’t told me something. What is it?”

Kyoko froze. She looked up at Tsumiki. Though she wore no expression, the look she gave her was intimidatingly enough.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you haven’t told him!” Mikan cried. “I-I’ll just leave you be!”

After Mikan scurried away, Makoto asked, “So what is it you have to tell me?”

Kyoko bit the inside of her lip. “...Can we go outside? Alone?”

Makoto nodded. “Sure. I’ll ask Komaru to keep an eye on Kazuki.”

Finally, Kyoko was alone with Makoto, just as she wanted. She prayed that nobody would dare interrupt them at this moment in time. She didn’t know how many more interruptions she could take. Kyoko asked herself why telling Makoto she was pregnant wasn’t as easy as the first time. Kyoko had exited the building before Makoto did. While she waited, she found herself fumbling with the bottom of her skirt, whether it be playing with the ends or straightening it. She didn’t know why she was so nervous; she knew Makoto would would be thrilled.

Music flooded the air when Makoto opened the doors. He found Kyoko leaned against the building. He only saw her play with her skirt for a split second before she crossed her arms over her chest. Makoto had a feeling whatever his wife wanted to tell him, it had to be important. Because of that, his heart pounded, and felt like it would escape his chest in a matter of seconds. 

“So,” Makoto said anxiously. “What is it you wanted to tell me? Tsumiki was happy when she talked to me, so it’s something good, right?”

Kyoko felt her body heat up. She turned to face Makoto, uncrossed her arms, and placed her hands over Makoto’s. She tried her hardest to keep her body from trembling, but she found herself unable to do so. At least only Makoto would know how shaken up she was.

“Kyoko, what’s wrong?” Makoto asked. “You’re shaking. This isn’t like you.”

She couldn’t beat around the bush any longer. The more she kept like this, the more worried Makoto would become. Plus, if she did wait, there was the chance someone could interrupt them for what seemed like the hundredth time. Kyoko took a deep breath, looked at Makoto directly in the eyes and said, devoid of emotion, 

“I’m pregnant.” 

The only noise that could be heard was the muffled sounds of what could possibly be Nekomaru Nidai singing karaoke. Makoto looked at Kyoko in shock, his mouth wide open. Kyoko expected him to at least smile, yet a smile didn’t come. 

“A-Are you serious?” Makoto stuttered.

Kyoko nodded. She noticed a small smile curved on Makoto’s lips, though it looked as if he were trying to fight it.

“But what about how we were too busy for another child?”

“I must have gotten pregnant before we made that decision,” Kyoko noted.

Makoto started to count the months with his fingers. “When was that again?”

“...about a month ago.” 

The couple continued their silent gaze at one another. Now the singing voice of Gundam Tanaka could be heard inside the building.

“Are you happy?” Makoto asked. “I mean, it was your decision to wait.”

Kyoko felt Makoto squeeze her hands tight. “I’m worried,” she admitted. “But...I feel that perhaps we can do this.” Kyoko wasn’t sure if she wanted to smile. 

Makoto stopped fighting his urge to smile. He felt his eyes moisten, ready to cry. “I agree. We’ve gone through tougher situations.”

Finally, a smile budged from Kyoko’s face. “Then yes, I am happy.” 

Suddenly, the floodgates opened from Makoto’s eyes before he threw his arms around Kyoko. He squeezed her tight, and finally expressed his joy. “We get to be parents again!” Makoto cried. Tears now covered his cheeks. “It’s sooner than I expected, but I don’t care as long as we’re both happy!”

Kyoko lightly hugged her husband back. “You’re such a sap,” she teased. 

“That must have been by what Tsumiki meant by congradulations! She knew you were pregnant!”

“...I asked her if she had tests in her infirmary,” she admitted. 

“You asked Tsumiki for help?”

“Not exactly help but-”

“Oh, Kyoko!” Makoto shouted. “Perhaps you’re starting to trust everyone here a little better!”

Kyoko sighed. “I suppose I am,” she admitted. She let go of Makoto. His face was still wet from crying, and his cheeks were bright red. “...You should clean yourself up before we go back to the party.” 

The minute the couple went back to the party, Makoto rushed towards Kazuki, picked him up, and spun him around. Kazuki giggled with each spin. 

“Daddy, you’re gonna make me sick!” Kazuki cried out. 

Makoto stopped spinning almost immediately, but still continued to shower his son with affection. Kazuki touched his father’s face and quickly jerked his hand away when he felt how wet his cheeks were.    


“You’re crying?” 

Makoto kissed his son’s head. “I’m crying because I’m happy!” he explained.

Kazuki gasped. “You can do that?”

Makoto nodded. “Yeah! Do you wanna go on stage with me? I’ll sing and you dance?”

Kazuki nodded in excitement. “I do! Let’s go!”

With Kazuki in his arms, Makoto made dashed onto the stage. Once he and Kazuki were on the stage, he set his son down and went through the computer to find the song from earlier in the day. Before the song’s intro started, he ran over towards the microphone.

“Before I start,” Makoto said with a smile on his face. “I just wanna take a moment and recognize everyone that couldn’t be here today. This song is going to be like a dedication to them.” He lowered his head and began to laugh. “I’m sorry, I should be serious about this but I can’t help it! I just learned the most amazing thing!” At the top of his lungs, amplified by the microphone, Makoto shouted in joy, “I’m gonna be a dad again!” 

Thunderous cheers filled the building. Then, the music started playing. While everyone continued to exclaim their excitement, Makoto began singing the song Maizono and her pop group sang so many years ago. Kazuki jumped around the stage as it was his way of dancing. 

On the other side of the building, Komaru was squealing in delight. She clung onto the arm of Toko tight, and refused to let go. “Can you believe it, Toko?” Komaru shouted. “Makoto and Kyoko are having another baby!”

“H-How is it fair that they are h-having another kid w-when I nobody else has?” Toko grumbled. She forced her body to turn in Byakuya’s direction. “B-Byakuya! I have to have children with him now!”

Byakuya heard Toko, but refused to look in her direction. Hiro asked Byakuya if he and Toko were dating. Byakuya didn’t utter a word to Hiro.

The rest of the girls at the party now crowded Kyoko. The attention she was getting wasn’t ideal for her, but she knew it couldn’t be helped. After all, Makoto did announce her pregnancy to everyone. With how loud he was, Kyoko figured the entire globe knew. Kyoko couldn’t help but smile at how adorable Makoto was acting. With his never-ending optimism, she was sure nothing could go wrong again.

After Makoto finished his song, he lifted Kazuki up and placed him on his shoulders. The excited father then ran off the stage with Kazuki gripping his hair for dear life. Once they were off the stage, an ecstatic Nagito marched onto the stage with a reluctant, and seemingly bored Hajime. 

“Come on, Hajime, show some enthusiasm!” Nagito said while he picked out the song for them to sing. “After all, Naegi will be having another child!”

“...I kind of figured they’d have another child,” Hajime noted. “I also predicted you forcing me onstage with you.”

“I didn’t force you,” Nagito corrected. “You said yes to singing!”

Kazuki decided to go get food from the buffet all on his own. It was easy to sneak off with everyone crowding his parents. When he got to the table of seemingly endless food, he was stopped by his new friend Natsumi. With a look of determination in her eye, she pushed a flower crown in Kazuki’s chest.

“Happy Birthday,” Natsumi said, a hint of embarrassment could be heard in her voice. “This is for you. I made it myself.”

Kazuki’s face lit up with joy. “Thank you, Natsumi!” he replied. Kazuki immediately put the crown on his head. “It fits!”

Suddenly, Natsumi was lifted off the ground by her father. “Oy, Natsumi!” Fuyuhiko scolded. “It’s too crowded for you to be running off like that! Someone could step on you!”

“But Papa, I was giving Kazuki his gift!”

Fuyuhiko looked down at Kazuki, who went back to getting food for himself. He saw the flower crown on top of Kazuki’s head. A smirk grew on Fuyuhiko’s face, followed by a chuckle. He almost felt like the friendship between his daughter and Kazuki were like his and Peko’s when they were kids. 

“Alright, fine, but next time tell me or your mother where you’re going.” He set Natsumi back down next to Kazuki. “Suppose you’d want to play with him as much as you can. After all, he’s leaving tomorrow.”

Natsumi’s eyes widened, then scrunched into a glare. “No he’s not!” she shouted. “Kazuki is my friend so he isn’t going anywhere!”

“You don’t decide that,” Fuyuhiko replied. “His home isn’t here, and I’m not keen on kidnapping the son of the man who pretty much saved our lives.”

“It’s not fair!” Natsumi screeched.

Kazuki turned to face Natsumi and Fuyuhiko. Before he could ask what was wrong, Natsumi gripped his arm tight. 

“You’re not leaving!” Natsumi demanded. “Papa is lying and saying that you are! You leave, and I’ll be by myself again!”

Kazuki didn’t answer immediately. The gears in his still-developing brain cranked as hard as they could to give Natsumi an answer. All he could come up with was, “My mom said we’re leaving tomorrow.”

Natsumi started to sob after Kazuki replied. She let go of Kazuki and shoved him to the floor. “You’re lying too!” 

Fuyuhiko cursed under his breath and went to help Kazuki up. He hoped nobody saw what just happened. Thankfully Kazuki wasn’t crying, so he must not have been hurt that bad. While Fuyuhiko helped Kazuki up, Natsumi ran off again. Fuyuhiko swore again, and ran off to chase his temperamental daughter. 

With Kazuki now alone, this was the chance for Kazuichi Souda to make his move. With the robotic dog he built in a box, Kazuichi strutted his way over towards the now-confused child. He knelt down next to Kazuki, and placed the box in front of him.

“Hey, little dude!” Kazuichi said. Kazuki looked over in shock. Small, scared eyes were fixated on Kazuichi’s sharp teeth. “You can call me ‘Uncle Kazu, okay?”

Kazuki budged a smile. “Okay.” He looked down at the box Kazuichi put in front of him. “Is this for me?”

“Of course! You’re the birthday boy after all!”

Kazuki flipped the lid of the box open, and looked inside. He then looked at Kazuichi. “What is it?”

Kazuichi lifted the robotic dog out of the box. “He’s a dog! Well, a robo-dog.” Kazuichi took the remote from the box, and pressed the button to turn his creation on. Immediately the dog started to bark. Kazuki squealed in delight. “You like him?”

“I love him!” Kazuki petted the dog’s metal head. 

“So what are you gonna name him?”

“Ryo!” Kazuki said without a second of thought.

Kazuichi laughed. He looked over towards the crowd of people to see where Sonia Nevermind would be. Once he caught sight, he leaned towards Kazuki. “Hey, wanna ride on Uncle Kazu’s shoulders?”

“Um,” Kazuki mumbled. “What about Ryo?”

The now awkward moment that Kazuichi had created in order to try and impress Sonia was interrupted by Makoto, who called out for his son. Makoto saw Kazuki over by the buffet standing next to Kazuichi. Makoto smiled and walked over towards the two. 

“Kazuki, why’d you run off?” Makoto asked while he knelt down to his son’s eye level.

“I was hungry,” the boy replied. 

Makoto looked up at Kazuichi. “Were you keeping an eye on him? Thank you.”

Kazuichi smiled hesitantly. “Yeah, of course!”

“Come on, Kazuki. We’re gonna go up and sing another song!” Makoto thanked Kazuichi again for looking over his son. He then placed Kazuki on his shoulders and made his way back up to the stage. He dedicated the song he was about to sing to Kyoko, and then the music began. Kazuki, of course, danced along the stage. 

A now smaller group of girls had continued to surround Kyoko. However, all attention was now turned to Makoto, who belted his heart out in the song dedicated to his wife. Kyoko refrained from blushing as much as she could. As embarrassing as her husband could be, she couldn’t help but find his actions adorable. 

“All this sappiness is gonna make me throw up,” Hiyoko groaned. “Isn’t this supposed to be a kid’s birthday party?”

“I think it’s adorable,” Sonia replied. 

“It just means one less person to fight to get to the buffet,” Akane noted before standing up. “Speaking of, I’ll be back. I think I just saw Hanamura restocking the food!”

Mahiru was focusing her camera to get the best shot of Makoto and Kazuki on the stage. “This will be great for my portfolio.” After a couple snaps, she turned to Kyoko. “Would you like the photos printed? They’d be great for a family photo album.”

Kyoko sighed in content. “I agree. They would be nice. Thank you, Koizumi.”

“Is Kyoko gonna sing next?” Ibuki asked with excitement.

“I’m not fond of singing in front of others,” Kyoko replied.

“Aw come on! You can sing with Ibuki! It’ll be fun!”

A small smile appeared on Kyoko’s face. Everyone around her was happy and having fun. It reminded her of her school days, before despair decided to show its ugly head. She really did miss moments like these. Despite the trouble she had in the beginning of the trip, she was wholeheartedly glad she was here. As per usual, Makoto was right. Kyoko started to believe that perhaps the remnants here completely devoid of despair after all.

* * *

Kyoko cradled a sleeping Kazuki in her arms while she and Makoto walked back to their room. With all the excitement, the birthday boy tired out faster than usual. After a nap, he would be his energetic self again. The birthday party had lasted longer than most would have expected, and even some were still singing when the couple left to put Kazuki to bed. 

After Kyoko set Kazuki down on the bed, she was taken off guard by Makoto placing his hands on her waist. He spun his wife around, stood on his toes, and planted an eager kiss on her lips. After realization that Makoto was kissing her, she returned the favor. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with having another baby?” Makoto asked after pulling his lips away from her.

“We’ve been through worse,” Kyoko reminded him. “We’ve seen more lives lost than gained. It’ll be refreshing.”

“We can always ask our friends to babysit when needed,” Makoto stated. “I’m positive Komaru would be delighted to help.”

Kyoko hesitated. “...Only if necessary.”

Aggressive pounding erupted throughout the room. Makoto jumped a foot off the floor at the loud noise. Kyoko marched over to the door to scold whoever was going to awake her son. When she opened the door, she almost was hit by the fist of Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, who was about to slam on the door once more. Thankfully Peko pulled him away when she saw the door open. 

“It took you long enough!” Fuyuhiko shouted. “Christ, I was ready to tear down the fuckin’ cabin!”

Kyoko walked out the cabin and closed the door. She crossed her arms and began her scolding. “Your knocking could have woken up my son. I also don’t approve of your cursing around him. He could have woken up and heard you.”

“That’s the last of my concerns right now,” Fuyuhiko grumbled. “We need your detective skills, right now!”

Kyoko sighed. “What is it you want?”

Peko replied, “Natsumi is missing. We’ve looked around the usual places she likes to go, but there’s no trace of her. Everyone else on the island is looking for her as well.”

“Yeah and we still can’t find her!” Fuyuhiko hollered. “You’re a detective, you’ll know where she is immediately!”  
  
“Perhaps it was the fact that Kyoko was a parent herself, concern filled her mind. She’d be worried if Kazuki ended up missing. “I’ll help,” Kyoko replied. There were only so many places someone could hide on an island. She figured Natsumi could be found within the hour.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided a while back that Kazuki's birthday was to be July 7. I decided this before I learned that was Sayaka's birthday. After thinking it over, I decided that I didn't care, haha. People share the same birthdays after all. 
> 
> Usually I have more to say, but this time I don't. Have a Happy New Years!


	7. We Will See Each Other Again

“I need you to tell me the last place you saw Natsumi, and all the places she goes to,” Kyoko demanded. She leaned back against the cabin with her arms crossed over her chest. “Also, do you know why she would run off without telling you where she is?”

Fuyuhiko groaned. “She threw a tantrum at the party when I told her your kid would be leaving tomorrow. She ran off but I was able to catch up to her that time.” 

Kyoko nodded in understanding. “So what you’re saying is that she eventually got out of your sight and left because she’s mad that Kazuki is leaving.”

Peko nodded. “Once she had calmed down, we explained to her why he would be leaving. At first it seemed like she understood.”

“She still cried a ton,” Fuyuhiko added. “So much that she tired herself out and fell asleep. So, we carried her to her room and tucked her into bed.”

“That was the last time we saw her before she went missing,” said Peko.

Kyoko placed a hand on her chin and silently pieced together the current information given to her. Natsumi had to have woken up and decided to leave when she noticed her parents weren’t around. Despite Natsumi claiming she accepted Kazuki leaving, she must not have, otherwise she wouldn’t have left. 

“What about the places she frequents?” Kyoko reminded them.

“I told you we already checked them!” Fuyuhiko shouted. “Goddammit, there’s only so many places you can go when you're on an island. She shouldn’t be this fucking hard to find.”

“So you have no leads on where she could possibly be?” Kyoko asked, annoyed.

“Actually, there is something,” Peko said. “It’s not much, but Natsumi would sometimes mention a secret place she goes to.”

Chances are, Natsumi was in that place, Kyoko thought. “And you have no idea where that place may be?”

“No. We’d ask, but Natsumi would always say adults aren’t allowed to go there.” Peko crossed her arms and closed her eyes. “I can’t believe I let her out of my sight so easily. I should have known better.”

“Peko, you did nothing wrong,” Fuyuhiko comforted. “It’s all my fault, got it? You’re always protective of her and makes sure nothing bad ever happens. It’s just she inherited my shitty genes or something like that. So don’t beat yourself up over this.” 

Peko did not answer. She continued to keep her eyes away from Fuyuhiko and Kyoko. 

At this moment, Kyoko stood up straight. “If she said the place is for children only, what are the chances that she showed Kazuki that place?”

Peko gasped, and finally looked back at the other two. 

“A couple days ago she said she wanted to show him something secret,” Peko admitted. “Perhaps it was that place.”

Kyoko nodded. “Alright. I’ll go get Kazuki.”

When Kyoko made her way back into the cabin, Kazuki was still sleeping, and Makoto was sitting at the foot of the bed. Makoto looked at his wife, concerned, had overheard the conversation between Kyoko, Peko, and Fuyuhiko. Kyoko didn’t say a word while she walked over to her sleeping son. She didn’t like the idea of waking him up when he looked so peaceful, but she couldn’t let him sleep when he could help find Natsumi.

Kyoko gently whispered Kazuki’s name while she rocked his shoulders. After a couple shakes, Kazuki groaned as he woke up. The sleepy boy stretched his arms, which descended to his eyes so he could rub them before they opened. The first thing he saw was his mother, and it made Kazuki smile.

“I’m sorry for waking you,” Kyoko told him, her voice still soft. “But I need your help.”

“What is it?” Kazuki asked sleepily.

“Your friend Natsumi is gone and we need to find her. Did she show you a place that she said was a secret?”

Kazuki slowly nodded his head and yawned. “Yeah, she said grown ups aren’t allowed there.” 

“Do you know where this place is?”

“I think so.”

“You need to show me where that is.” Kyoko paused. “This is...your first case as a detective and it’s important.”

“I’m a detective?” Kazuki asked, surprised. “I’m just like you now?”

Kyoko nodded, smiling at her son. “But only if you show me where that secret place is.”

Kazuki lept out of bed. “I’ll do it!” he exclaimed with his newfound energy.

Kyoko smiled. “So where do we go first?”

* * *

Four adults followed one small child. Kazuki proudly marched onto the beach to lead Kyoko, Makoto, Peko, and Fuyuhiko to the secret hiding spot Natsumi showed him before. Kazuki stopped when he reached the rocks and boulders that he and Natsumi climbed. Gundam Tanaka was already standing nearby, his hamsters climbing up and down the rocks.

“It’s about time you showed your faces here!” Gundam announced. “My devas of destruction have already picked up the child’s scent.”

“...Hamsters can do that?” Makoto whispered to Fuyuhiko. 

“No fuckin’ clue,” Fuyuhiko replied. 

“I cannot blame you humans for your tracking abilities being inferior to mine and my devas of destruction,” Gundam continued. “Either way, the human girl is over these boulders!”

“You’re joking!” Fuyuhiko shouted. “There’s no way a kid could climb up those!”

“Yes there is!” Kazuki retaliated. “Natsumi climbed up there and she helped me get up too!  We had to go over the rocks to get to her secret place!”

Fuyuhiko’s eye widened in shock. “Well I mean,” he said with a smug look on his face, “I was a pretty good climber when I was her age. Alright, let’s get moving.” Fuyuhiko glanced at Gundam. “You comin’?”

“My work here is complete,” Gundam replied. “You will find her soon enough, so I do not need to help you out any longer.”

Fuyuhiko shook his head. “Whatever you say.”

The small search party decided to dip their legs in the ocean water and walk around the boulders, instead of climbing them. Once they were on the other side, a numerous amount of small footprints were seen trailing to Natsumi’s apparent location. 

“You did a good job, Kazuki,” Kyoko praised. She knelt down to her son’s level and gently ruffled his hair. 

Makoto did the same, except he hugged Kazuki tight. “You’re such a good little detective!” Makoto cheered. 

“You can get all affectionate with him after we find my daughter,” Fuyuhiko snapped. 

Kyoko stood up. “The footprints are new,” Kyoko explained. “She’s around here, no doubt.” 

“Then let’s continue our search,” Peko noted. 

The group followed the footprints made in the sand until they left the beach again. Kazuki worriedly noted that he couldn’t remember exactly how to get to the spot, but that he tried to follow more footprints that were in the dirt. Upon further investigation, Natsumi’s prints had indeed continued past the beach. After walking a couple more minutes, the sobs of a little girl could be heard. 

“Shit, that’s Natsumi!” Fuyuhiko shouted. He diverged from the group, and ran off to find her. Peko thanked Kyoko and Makoto, then followed behind Fuyuhiko. 

The small family kept their distance after Fuyuhiko and Peko found their daughter, who was in the small den she had shown Kazuki earlier in the week. Tears streamed down Natsumi’s face. Despite the demands from her parents to get up, she refused to leave her spot. 

“It’s not fair,” Natsumi sobbed. “Kazuki is a kid like me...why does he have to leave?”

“We went over this before,” Fuyuhiko replied. “He has a home of his own and it’s not here.”

“But there aren’t other kids on the island! It’s not fair! I have nobody like him to play with! Everyone else is too big!”

“Peko…” Fuyuhiko replied. “Help.”

Peko inched closer to Natsumi. She took a deep breath before trying to talk to the child. “He will not be gone forever,” she told Natsumi. “You will see him again.”

Natsumi wiped her face with her arm. “I will? He really isn’t going to be gone forever?”

“Of course. You’ll see him again soon.”

“When?”

“Er,” Fuyuhiko continued. “You’ll see him soon. I promise we can visit him at his home.”

“The only way you’ll be able to see him again, is if you get out of there,” said Peko.

“Yeah, he’s waiting for you over somewhere.” 

Natsumi cried a bit longer before finally walking out of the den. Once she was within reach, Peko scooped her off the ground and held her tight in her arms. Fuyuhiko paid close attention to Natsumi as she continued to cry after Peko hugged her, his heart sank a little at the sight of his daughter crying. 

“I screwed up, didn’t I, Peko?” he mumbled. “We should have left this island when Natsumi was born. I should have thought about how alone she’d be without other kids to play with. It’s all my fault.”

“I don’t think it was your fault, Fuyuhiko.” Peko answered. “Perhaps we should consider leaving earlier than expected.”

Fuyuhiko agreed. “I’ll tell Hajime and the others when we get back tonight.”

Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Natsumi made their way back to where Makoto, Kyoko, and Kazuki were waiting. The minute Kazuki was in Natsumi’s line of sight, she squirmed in Peko’s arms until she finally let her down. Once Natsumi’s feet touched the ground, she sprinted towards Kazuki and threw him into a hug. 

“Mama and Papa said we’re gonna see each other again!” Natsumi shouted. “So don’t go anywhere I can’t find you!”

“I’ll be home…?” Kazuki replied, unsure of what Natsumi meant.

“Good, because that’s where I’m going to go see you again.”

“We should get back to everyone,” Kyoko said. “Otherwise they may think we went missing as well.”

Peko nodded in agreement. “Let’s get going.”

Along the way back to the cabins, the kids led the group. Trailing behind the group was Makoto, who willingly stayed behind just so he could see how happy everybody was. He was relieved that Natsumi was found, and happy again,Kazuki was happy that he took part in finding Natsumi, Kyoko looked as if there was a small smile on her face, and Peko looked content now that Natsumi was back in her arms. As for Fuyuhiko, Makoto didn’t see him ahead of the group. 

“Oy, Naegi,” Fuyuhiko grumbled behind Makoto. 

Makoto jumped in shock. “Kuzuryuu, what’s up?”

“We need to talk.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“It’s about your kid and mine. You’ve seen how they are with one another. They’re just like Peko and me at that age. Look at Peko and me now. You see what we are to one another?”

“Kuzuryuu, are you saying you think Kazuki and Natsumi are going to-”

“I really wouldn’t mind having you as an in-law,” Fuyuhiko interrupted. “After all, you’re a frickin’ hero.”

“Isn’t it early to be thinking our kids will-”

“Did you just forget they’re like Peko and me? Ugh, what I’m trying to say is I want my girl to be as happy as she can. So say the time comes when they do start dating, if your kid breaks her heart,” Fuyuhiko leaned closer to Makoto’s ear, “I’ll fuckin’ castrate him with one of Peko’s swords. I don’t care that he’s your kid, I  _ will _ do it.”

Makoto bit his lip. “I doubt you’ll ever need to go to such extreme measures, Kuzuryuu.”

“You and your son better hope so."

* * *

 

It was hard to believe a week had passed, and Makoto and his family would be leaving the island and return to their daily lives. Komaru and the rest of Makoto’s classmates had left earlier in Byakuya’s jet. He, Kyoko, and Kazuki stayed back to enjoy the ship ride home once again. 

Everyone on the island had showed up to say their goodbyes. In an unorganized crowd, everyone grouped together to wish Makoto and the others return to the island. They all promised that they would make the next visit better than this one. Makoto smiled and told everyone that he hoped to see them again. He also assured them that if they ever decided to travel outside the island, they could always come to him if they needed help. 

Hajime walked over towards Makoto, smiling. He held his hand out towards Makoto, which Makoto shook.

“Thank you for seeing us again,” Hajime said. “Everyone liked having company. It definitely was a nice change of pace.” 

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for us,” Makoto replied. “By the way, did Kuzuryuu talk to you about-”

“He did,” Hajime interrupted. “I knew once Natsumi was born, he and Pekoyama wouldn’t last long here. It’s a shame Natsumi ran off like that yesterday, but perhaps that was the last push those two needed to realize they needed to leave. ” Hajime paused. “You know, one day, I’d like all of us to live lives outside this island once again.”

“Well, if anyone ever needs work, Hope’s Peak could always use more staff.”

Hajime’s smile widened. “I knew you’d say that. You’re too predictable, Makoto Naegi.”

“Natsumi, don’t run so fast!” Fuyuhiko shouted in the distance. 

Makoto and Hajime turned into the direction of Fuyuhiko’s voice. He was chasing after Natsumi, who had barged her way through everyone. She ran past Makoto and Hajime, and Fuyuhiko followed soon after, followed by Peko.. 

“I apologize,” Peko said to Makoto and Hajime. “At first Natsumi did not want to say goodbye, but all of a sudden she changed her mind.”

Makoto laughed. “Don’t worry about it Pekoyama.” Peko bowed, and then continued to follow Fuyuhiko and Natsumi.

Natsumi stopped as soon as she found Kazuki, who was standing next to Kyoko. She stood right in front of him, a look of determination in her face. However, she stood there in silence, her cheeks slightly puffed. 

“Natsumi,” Fuyuhiko groaned after finally catching up with her. “You said you were going to say goodbye. What’s got you quiet?”

“I’m gonna do it!” Natsumi answered. “Gimme a minute!”

She took a deep breath and continued to silently stare at Kazuki. Suddenly, she took her hands and placed them on Kazuki’s cheeks. Then, she smashed her face against Kazuki’s with her lips touching his. 

Kazuki’s eyes widened and his entire body froze. Kyoko looked down, her eyebrows raised in shock, Makoto had the same expression on his face, and even Hajime looked slightly surprised. 

At some point in time, Fuyuhiko had come back towards Makoto. He leaned forward and said to Makoto, “I fuckin’ told you, and you didn’t believe me.” 

Natsumi pulled away, still with that determined look on her face. “Bye, Kazuki. See you soon.”

Kazuki’s face was beet red. All he could mutter was “B-Bye, N-Natsumi.”

Natsumi proudly walked away from Kazuki and stopped in front of Peko. “I did it!”

Peko, surprised at what Natsumi had done, couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you kiss him?”

Natsumi frowned. “Isn’t that how you say goodbye?” she asked. “That’s what you and Papa do when you guys say goodbye. I thought that’s what you do.” 

Peko’s face turned bright red. Fuyuhiko, who heard Natsumi’s answer, also blushed madly. 

Kyoko knelt beside Kazuki to try and snap the small boy out of his trance. A small chuckle escaped her when she noticed just how Kazuki’s expression resembled Makoto’s when he and Kyoko began dating. She lifted her son up, and called Makoto over, so they could board the ship. 

Once the small family was on the ship, they waved goodbye to everyone until the islanders were out of sight.

An hour passed on the family’s boat ride back home. Kazuki was once again running around the boat, trying to make his father catch him, he turned a corner once again, and Makoto lost sight of him. However, he saw Kyoko against a lounge chair, working. He chuckled at the feeling of deja vu as he walked over towards his wife. 

“Do you know where Kazuki is hiding?” Makoto asked.

“No,” she replied. “He’s not under my chair this time. He can’t be far though. I swore I heard him laughing.” She didn’t take her eyes off her paperwork.

“Still working?” Makoto asked, amused. 

“I have to,” Kyoko replied. “I can’t procrastinate on reports and documentation anymore, especially since I’ll have to take leave from work in the near future.”

“You’re such a workaholic.” Makoto knelt down, leaned forward, and gently placed his hand on Kyoko’s stomach. “Kyoko, are you worried at all about having another baby?”

Kyoko closed her files and placed her hand over Makoto’s. “I was. I think part of me still is. I suppose everything will be fine, though. After all, I have you by my side.” She looked at her husband and smiled.

Makoto blushed. “Well, when you put it that way,” He leaned forward and softly brushed his lips against Kyoko’s. “everything will be fine.”

“Gross!” Kazuki shouted from his hiding spot. Makoto and Kyoko broke into laughter. 

Makoto stood up and looked directly where Kazuki was hiding. He chased after his son once again. “It’s not gross, Kazuki! You should know now that you’ve had your first kiss!”

Kazuki jumped out of his hiding spot and started to run. “It was gross! Natsumi’s spit was on my face!”  
  
Kyoko continued to chuckle while she watched her husband and son play together. Once they were out of sight, she turned back to her files. Kyoko couldn’t stop herself from smiling. The sound of Kazuki and Makoto’s laughter filled the air. She kept a hand on her abdomen. Everything was fine, and was going to stay that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, I finished a chaptered fic, holy heck! I hope you guys enjoyed this silly little fluff thing. 
> 
> If you guys are interested, I've been working on some Kazuki stories when he is a teen. Not only that, but you can learn more about him, Natsumi, and this ever-growing next-gen au on my tumblr. 
> 
> Anyway I will probably go back to doing one-shots for now. They're so much easier, haha.


End file.
